Restoration work on the Victoria Baths project in Manchester, UK, is set to begin in October in a bid to re-open the Turkish baths facility to the public for the first time since 1993.
York-based conservation specialist William Anelay will install a new roof and restore the mosaics, stained glass windows and the exterior of the grade-II listed building, which houses the Turkish baths.
Completion of the first phase will take 12–15 months at an anticipated cost of £3m.
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) allocated the funding when the project won the BBC Restoration series in 2003.
Gill Wright, project manager of the Victoria Baths Trust, said: “This is another important milestone in the countdown to restoration work actually starting at Victoria Baths. We are also looking forward to enabling the public to continue to visit the baths while restoration work is underway.”
The baths – designed by Manchester’s first city architect, Henry Price – were opened by the Manchester Corporation in 1906. The facade features multi-coloured brickwork and terracotta decoration, the main interior public spaces are clad in glazed tiles from floor to ceiling and most of the windows are adorned with decorative stained glass.
For 86 years the Victoria Baths provided both essential and leisure facilities to the public. Private baths and a laundry were housed there along with three swimming pools and the Turkish baths. The main swimming pool was floored over in the winter months to hold dances. In 1952, the first public Aeratone (spa bath) in the country was installed. The baths closed in 1993. Details: www.victoriabaths.org.uk
