Oh! I Do Like to Be Beside The Seaside . . .

by Julie Spellman

Victoria Baths held a seaside themed Open Day on October 4th complete with fish & chips, put on especially for them by Gabriel’s Kitchen as part of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival. The fish and chips came as mini portions of deep fried whitebait and hand-made chips which were very tasty indeed! The entertainment for the day was provided by musicians from the Royal Northern College of Music playing a variety of seaside themed songs, and a modern day version of Punch & Judy featuring an apple and a banana! There were also many tours running throughout the afternoon allowing visitors to take a step back in time and to see the progress that has been made in the restoration of this regional treasure. Since winning the hearts of the nation in the BBC’s landmark Restoration series back in 2003, and securing £3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it’s really starting to take shape with a new roof to the front of the building tiled with welsh slate from the same quarry used on the original, a fully restored clock tower and beautifully restored stained glass windows featuring sporting scenes and the breathtaking Angel of Purity. The Turkish Baths area is also coming on a treat, and they have managed to secure four Aeratones (an early type of jacuzzi) which they have ambitions to open as an Aeratone suite eventually. Barry Davenport, who came down to the Open Day with his wife to see how the restoration project was going, said ” I’ve had a superb day! It’d be nice to see the baths full of water again, wouldn’t it? . . . I think the stained glass is lovely, the ornate entrance hall and all the ceramics, beautiful!” and when asked about the prospect of re-opening the Turkish Baths to the public Barry said “The rooms are already done, the walls are done, the ceilings are done. It wouldn’t take a lot to continue on and open the Turkish Baths, would it? I wouldn’t have thought so. I’d come down and use it, wouldn’t you?.” It’s all looking quite lovely, but there’s much more work to be done. The next stage of restoration is the Gala Pool Roof and work started on this immediately after the Open Day.

Victoria Baths is about to close for the winter but will re-open in the spring with a full programme of Open Days, weekly guided tours and community activities offering you the opportunity to see for yourself the restoration of this well loved historic building and support the work of the Friends of Victoria Baths. For more information about the project visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk

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