Mayfield Baths was a Victorian washhouse and laundry in Manchester, England that opened in 1857 to serve workers in the surrounding print and textile factories. [1] [2]
The building, behind Manchester Piccadilly station in the Cottonopolis district, was of Italianate design and its pools were nearly 20 metres (66 ft) long. [2] The architect was Thomas Worthington. [3]
The first of the Baths and wash houses in Britain available for public use were established in Liverpool. St. George's Pier Head salt-water baths were opened in 1828 by the Corporation of Liverpool. [4]
The concept of bath houses became well publicised by the Baths and Wash-houses Act 1846, which was intended to encourage cities to voluntarily build such facilities. [5] [6] [7] According to BBC News, a small privately owned bath house existed in Manchester, in a house on Miller Street, by 1846. [8] Although the city established a Baths & Wash Houses committee in 1876, it did not adopt the Act until 1877. [9]
Two bath and laundry facilities were planned in 1855, by private enterprise: the Manchester and Salford Baths & Laundries Company. Greengate Baths opened in nearby Salford in 1856 and Mayfield Baths opened in the following year. It contained two pools, one for men and one for women, the larger being 62 feet (19 metres) long. The construction cost for each facility was about £10,000. The Mayfield building was purchased for £19,000 by the city in September 1877. [10] [6]
By the late 19th century, Manchester had 30 bath houses. [11] One of the most active promoters of the health benefits of the facility was George Poulton, who gave public swimming lessons. A 2021 report stated that a large commercial building, named The Poulton, was to be erected in his honour. [12]
Ian Miller, assistant director of archaeology at the University of Salford, explained the rationale for the concept: "Before public baths the textile workers lived in crammed insanitary conditions and would wash their clothes in the used bath water ... Public baths were a game changer for the health of the working classes, keeping clean and having clean clothes were essential for public health". [8]
One history of the era describes the design of the first two large public baths as including "ornate Italianate façades, featuring an extensive double storey run of windows and doors with a long arcade coupled with elegant and finely detailed chimneys for the new boilers [for] extensive washing and laundry facilities alongside the public and class segregated pools". [10]
The baths were demolished after being bombed in 1940, during the Second World War; [13] later a car park was built on the site. [2]
In 2020, the intact remains of the swimming pools on a street now known as Baring Street were discovered in "stunning" condition by archaeologists from the University of Salford. [2] The site was incorporated into Mayfield Park, which was the "first new public park built in the city in 100 years". [11] [13] According to a local news source, "archaeologists are using 3D laser scanning and low level drone photography to produce an accurate, detailed record of the findings which will later be combined with historical documents and CAD software to produce digital drawings, in a process known as 'preservation by record'". [12]
As of 11 January 2021, "two large tiled pools, boilers [to heat water], flues and pumps" had been discovered. [11]
Graham Mottershead, project manager of Salford Archaeology, said that the "sheer pace of change and innovation during the Industrial Revolution means many advancements were not recorded. Excavations like this help us to learn a great deal about what is arguably the most important period of human history and, in the case of Mayfield, a location that is so very relevant to the heritage of the people of Manchester." [2]
Sentō (銭湯) is a type of Japanese communal bathhouse where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bathhouses have been quite utilitarian, with a tall barrier separating the sexes within one large room, a minimum of lined-up faucets on both sides, and a single large bath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others. Since the second half of the 20th century, these communal bathhouses have been decreasing in numbers as more and more Japanese residences now have baths. Some Japanese find social importance in going to public baths, out of the theory that physical proximity/intimacy brings emotional intimacy, which is termed skinship in pseudo-English Japanese. Others go to a sentō because they live in a small housing facility without a private bath or to enjoy bathing in a spacious room and to relax in saunas or jet baths that often accompany new or renovated sentōs.
A hammam or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model of the Roman thermae. Muslim bathhouses or hammams were historically found across the Middle East, North Africa, al-Andalus, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and in Southeastern Europe under Ottoman rule. A variation on the Muslim bathhouse, the Victorian Turkish bath, became popular as a form of therapy, a method of cleansing, and a place for relaxation during the Victorian era, rapidly spreading through the British Empire, the United States, and Western Europe.
Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, PC was a British Whig politician and a scion of the noble House of Grey. He held office under four Prime Ministers, Lord Melbourne, Lord John Russell, Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Palmerston, notably serving three times as Home Secretary for a collective 13 years.
Bathing is the act of washing the body, usually with water, or the immersion of the body in water. It may be practiced for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes. By analogy, especially as a recreational activity, the term is also applied to sun bathing and sea bathing.
Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other criteria. In addition to their hygienic function, public baths have also been social meeting places. They have included saunas, massages, and other relaxation therapies, as are found in contemporary day spas. As the percentage of dwellings containing private bathrooms has increased in some societies, the need for public baths has diminished, and they are now almost exclusively used recreationally.
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are especially widespread in Europe and Japan. Day spas and medspas are also quite popular, and offer various personal care treatments.
Thomas Worthington was a 19th-century English architect, particularly associated with public buildings in and around Manchester. Worthington's preferred style was the Gothic Revival.
Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) is a large NHS teaching hospital in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. Founded by Charles White in 1752 as part of the voluntary hospital movement of the 18th century, it is now a major regional and national medical centre. It is the largest hospital within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, and based on its Oxford Road Campus in South Manchester where it shares a site with the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and Saint Mary's Hospital as well as several other educational and research facilities. The Hospital is also a key site for medical educational within Manchester, serving as a main teaching hospital for School of Medical Sciences, University of Manchester.
Victoria Baths is a Grade II* listed building, in the Chorlton-on-Medlock area of Manchester, in northwest England. The Baths opened to the public in 1906 and cost £59,144 to build. Manchester City Council closed the baths in 1993 and the building was left empty. A multimillion-pound restoration project began in 2007. As of 2009, the building is on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register.
Poplar Baths on the East India Dock Road in Poplar, London is a former public bath house and Grade II listed building that was constructed in 1933 and closed to the public in 1988. The Baths are adjacent to All Saints DLR station. A campaign to restore the baths won the support of Tower Hamlets Council in 2010 and the construction company Guildmore was appointed to complete the works to create a new leisure centre incorporating a swimming pool, gymnasium and affordable housing on adjacent land. The site reopened in July 2016.
Seedley is an inner city suburb of Salford, Greater Manchester, England.
The Public Library and Baths on Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, form one of many pairings of baths and libraries in Birmingham, England.
The Birmingham Baths Committee was an organisation responsible for the provision and maintenance of public swimming and bathing facilities. Birmingham City Council funded, constructed and ran bathing facilities throughout the city. The movement to develop baths and wash houses in Britain had its impetus with the rapid urbanisation of the Industrial Revolution, which was felt acutely in Birmingham, one of England's powerhouses.
The Asser Levy Recreation Center is a recreational facility in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, composed of the Asser Levy Public Baths and Asser Levy Playground. It is bounded by East 23rd Street to the south, East 25th Street to the north, and FDR Drive to the east. Along with the former Asser Levy Place to the west, it was named after Asser Levy, one of New York City's first Jewish citizens and a strong and influential advocate for civil liberties.
Baths and wash houses available for public use in Britain were first established in Liverpool. St. George's Pier Head salt-water baths were opened in 1828 by the Corporation of Liverpool, with the first known warm fresh-water public wash house being opened in May 1842 on Frederick Street. Wash houses often combined aspects of public bathing and self-service laundry. The Romans, whom the Victorians often sought to emulate, had built many public baths (thermae) open to everyone, but these had long disappeared. For centuries Bath, Somerset, had retained its popularity as a health resort, while during the Georgian era and particularly after the development of the railway, entrepreneurs developed spa towns around the country, catering first to the aristocracy and then to the growing middle class. These commercial endeavours offered nothing for the working poor.
Catherine Wilkinson (1786–1860) was an Irish migrant, "wife of a labourer", who became known as the Saint of the Slums. In 1832, during a cholera epidemic, she had the only boiler in her neighbourhood, so she invited those with infected clothes or linens to use it, thus saving many lives. This was the first public washhouse in Liverpool. Ten years later with public funds her efforts resulted in the opening of a combined washhouse and public baths, the first in the United Kingdom.
Govanhill Baths is a Category B listed Edwardian public bathhouse at 99 Calder Street, Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland, designed by the architect A.B. McDonald and opened between 1912 and 1917. The building itself is currently closed for refurbishment works until 2023. Govanhill Baths Community Trust operates from an office at 126 Calder Street, across the road from the baths building.
Victorian Turkish bath or simply Turkish bath is a type of public bathhouse which was derived from the hammam (bathhouse) of the Islamic world and those Roman baths which used hot dry air. It became popular as a therapy, a method of cleansing, and a place for relaxation during the Victorian era, rapidly spreading through the British Empire, the United States of America, and Western Europe.
Mayfield Park is a public park in Manchester city centre, England, covering an area of 6.5 acres (2.6 ha). The city centre's first new public park in more than 100 years, it was officially opened on 22 September 2022 by Bev Craig, the Leader of Manchester City Council.
Yesterday the bill, as amended by the committee, for promoting the voluntary establishment in boroughs and parishes in England and Wales of public baths and wash-houses was printed.