Home Home

 
Index...

Search this site:
1. The Arno Motor Company of Coventry 1908-1916, by Damien Kimberley
2. The Beech on Wheels, by Derek Robinson and forum member Foxcote
3. A brief history of Saint Osburg's, in pictures, by Damien Kimberley
4. The Brough Superior, by Damien Kimberley
5. Coventry Volunteer Fire Brigade - Illustrated London News, Jan 4th 1862
6. Coventry's Great Flood - London Daily Graphic, 2nd January 1901
7. Coventry's Rich Heritage, by Pete Walters
8. Coventry, the Home of the Cycle Trade - 1886 magazine article
9. Coventry, the Silk Trade and the Horsfall family, by Ian West
10. D-Day and Monty's Staff Car, by Paul Maddocks
11. The Dragoon Cycle Company of Coventry, by Damien Kimberley
12. Edwin Brown, Victorian Animal Artist, by Stephen Catton
13. The First Tudor Feast, by Richard Ball
14. The Great Flood of December 1900, and the lost Bridges, by Damien Kimberley
15. Henry Cave, and the 'Lady' Autocar of 1899, by Damien Kimberley
16. Let's talk about Rex, by Damien Kimberley
17. The Lion Bicycle Company of Coventry & Wolverhampton 1877-1882, by Damien Kimberley
18. Miss Bashford, a Teacher's Tale, by Simon Shaw
19. Motor Panels (Coventry) Ltd, by Damien Kimberley
20. The New Bablake Schools - 1889 article
21. New Drinking Fountain at Coventry - 17 Sep 1859
22. Not Forgotten, the 1939 IRA bomb attack, by Simon Shaw
23. Phil Silvers Archival Museum, by Paul Maddocks
24. Proposal for St. Michael's Campanile c1890
25. Public Baths - The Building News, Jan 24th 1896
26. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 1
27. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 2
28. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 3
29. A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch
30. Sixty Years of Cycling - 1897 magazine article
31. The sound that almost killed my Dad in the War!, by Paul Maddocks
32. The Tapestry and its Hidden Secret, by Paul Maddocks
33. Transport Museum pt.1 - How the Queen's 1977 visit sowed the seed, by Paul Maddocks
34. Transport Museum pt.2 - New Hales Street Entrance in 1985, by Paul Maddocks
35. Transport Museum pt.3 - Creating the Blitz Experience, by Paul Maddocks
36. Transport Museum pt.4 - Coventry's Land Speed Record Cars, by Paul Maddocks
37. Transport Museum pt.5 - The 1987 F.A. Cup Winners' Sky Blue Bus, by Paul Maddocks
38. Transport Museum pt.6 - The Royal Cars, by Paul Maddocks
39. What links a Spitfire's landing gear to a baby buggy? by Paul Maddocks
40. What links R2D2 to a Coventry Hydrogen/Electric cab company? by Paul Maddocks
41. Whitefriars Gatehouse and Toy Museum, by Paul Maddocks
42. WW1 and Wyley of Charterhouse, by Paul Maddocks
43. 1930s Austin's Monthly Magazine articles, by John Bailey Shelton MBE
44. Plan for the City Centre - The Architect and Building News, 21st March 1941
 

Public Baths - The Building News, Jan 24th 1896

We give the plans and view of public baths which have been built by the Corporation of Coventry. It will be seen that all the baths (both slipper and swimming) and the whole of the service laundry department are on one level. The simplicity of plan thus insured, in addition to securing the utmost possible convenience to the public making use of the establishment, facilitates an economical system of administration with efficiency of working, easy and effective supervision, and minimum cost of construction. The men's and women's baths have separate entrances; between these is placed the checktaker's office, so that one person can take the money from both sexes and classes. The full total of private baths is - i.e., ten men's first-class private baths, twenty men's second-class private baths, four women's first-class private baths, and six women's second-class private baths; total number of private baths, forty. Each of these sets or groups (all amply lighted and ventilated) is complete in itself, with waiting-room, w.c., &c., and it is to be noted that each attendant in charge of a department can easily supervise the adjoining one by means of the direct communication that has been provided.

Plan of Coventry's Public Baths 1896

The first-class swimming-bath for men is conveniently near the men's entrance, with direct access from it as well as from their private baths. Its size is 90ft. by 35ft. The men's second-class baths are also conveniently planned, and are directly approached by a corridor 6ft. in width from the men's separate entrance. Sixty-two dressing-boxes are provided for the first-class swimming-bath, whilst for use in connection with the second-class swimming-bath, which is of similar size to the first-class bath - viz., 90ft. by 35ft. - there are 59 dressing-boxes. In the first-class swimming-bath, the deeper end is placed on the side furthest from the entrance, and in both baths the full depth of water - viz., 6ft. 6in. - is secured to a distance of some 9ft. or 10ft. from the retaining wall of the deep end, so as to afford the greatest possible depth at the point where divers would enter the water. The shallow end of each bath is provided with a cast-iron scum trough. Between the deep ends of the two swimming-baths is placed an inspection chamber for the efficient working of the various valves connected with the supply and waste pipes. In all cases the requirements of public baths have been carefully studied, whilst every precaution has been taken in so planning the buildings as to insure thorough lighting and proper sanitary arrangements and ventilation to all departments. In view of the utilisation of the first-class men's swimming-bath as a public hall, two doorways are provided leading into the lift, corridor, one at each end of the bath for exits. This corridor leads directly into Priory-street, and thus affords good facilities for public egress. All or any of the waiting-rooms adjoining the entrances from Priory-street would be available for cloak-rooms. The service laundry department has been placed at the east end of the site, from which it is directly accessible. The boiler-house, coal-store, &c., with good external access from the rear of site, is placed next to the service laundry, and a corridor leads to this and the service laundry from the 6ft. corridor.

Artists impression of Coventry's Public Baths 1896
Artists impression of Coventry's Public Baths 1896. In the Now and Then section you can find out if these baths actually turned out like the artists impression - and what now stands in its place.

The front of the baths abutting on Priory-street has been faced with the best local red bricks with Portland stone dressings. The entrance steps and all staircases are of granolithic concrete, and all balusters, &c., are of iron. The internal walls throughout are faced with selected facing-bricks, and the insides of the swimming-baths are lined with white glazed bricks. All lloors and passages are of fireproof construction, and the flooring round the swimming-baths is formed in granolithic, and a curbed and sunk channel is continued in order to prevent the surface water from passing into the baths. The first-class private baths are of porcelain, and the second-class of enamelled iron. The front roofs are tiled with Broseley tiles, and the roofs of the swimming-baths are covered with the best Bangor duchess slates. These baths have been built bv Mr. C. Gray Hill, of Coventry, at a total cost of £17,965 16s. 10d. Mr. Harold Burgess and Messrs. Spalding and Cross, FF.R.I.B.A., were joint architects in the carrying out of the works, and Mr. Alfred Davies acted as clerk of works.


 
 
 
Associated pages....
Home | How this site began | Bibliography | About me | My music | Discussion Forum | Steve's website | Historic Stoke, Coventry | Orland family website
Top of the page
3,129,860

Website by Rob Orland © 2002 to 2024