Manchester's Victoria Baths restoration

The Victoria Baths is a building of enormous historic and cultural value, in the heart of Manchester.  Built in the 1900s, it provided washing and leisure facilities until its closure in 1993; private baths and laundry were housed there along with three swimming pools and the Turkish Baths.  No expense was spared in its design and construction, the facade has multi-coloured brickwork and terracotta decoration, the main interior public spaces are clad in glazed tiles from floor to ceiling and most of the many windows have decorative stained glass. At the time of opening, few houses in the area had bathrooms, so the slipper baths or wash-baths were an important amenity, providing a 'real' bath for many people.  The main swimming pool was floored over during winter months to hold dances. The building was closed in 1993.  Shortly after closure local residents formed the Victoria Baths Trust with the aim of raising funds to repair and re-open Victoria Baths for public use.  This is a huge project of national significance, which is being carried out in phases.

Victoria Baths won BBC's Restoration series in 2003 with enormous local and national community support.  As a result £3.8 million was set aside by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Restoration Fund and English Heritage.  The Victoria Baths Trust works in close partnership with Manchester City Council and the key heritage funders in progressing the restoration project.  It provides access to Victoria Baths through a busy programme of open days, events and group tours.  The Turkish Baths were very popular right up to the time of closure, and visitors from a wide area are expected to come and use them again when the building is restored.

The project is truly community-led, having been initiated by local people joining together.  The Trust and Friends group have consulted regularly with the public to assess the level of support for the project through open days, market research, holding events and meeting local community groups – all have resulted in widespread support for restoring Victoria Baths for public use.

This is an unusual and exciting project for Biffaward, and one which we are delighted to be associated with.  Infact, the Baths will be our venue for the 2007 Biffaward Awards, where we recognise 'the best of the best' of the previous year's projects.

The required third party funding for this grant was provided by The Restoration Fund.