RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Yorkshire (West Riding) => Topic started by: bykerlads on Saturday 26 February 11 18:04 GMT (UK)
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I wonder if Rootschatters might like to "pool" their resourses to compile a list of swimming pools, lidos and public baths in the 19th and 20th C in West Yorks.
I know there were lidos in unexpected places for example at least 2 and poss. 3 in Holmfirth, privately owned but available to all. The one I know of was at the top of New Fold, still there in 1950's but in decline after a hey-day in the 20/30's.
Also, I have just heard that there was a swimming pool in the basement of the school in New St, Milnsbridge, in the 1930/40's.
I guess there must have been public bath-houses, for ablutions rather than swimming, in many towns.
Many locals will of course remember the old Ramsden St. baths in Huddersfield!
All contributions welcome about this un-sung area of public benefit.
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Lockwood Spa Baths.
Victoria Swimming Baths, Elland
Bramley Baths, Leeds.
Public Baths, Keighley
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Otley Lido, open air swimming bath
Grange Baths, at Grange Grammar School Great Horton, Bradford
Wibsey Baths, at Wibsey School
Windsor Baths (Turkish and swimming), Morley Street, Bradford
Tower Baths, Manchester Road, West Bowling, Bradford
Wakefield Road Swimming Baths, Bradford
Thornton Baths, Thornton Road, Thornton
Lilly Lane Baths, Halifax
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The Victorian Baths in Dewsbury is still there - the building at least.
The Windsor Baths in Morley Street Bradford is now a public house: the 'Sir Titus Salt'
Sun Lane Baths in Wakefield is now scheduled for demolition - see http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/watchdog_questions_closure_of_baths_1_2372916
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The following baths are listed buildings:
Manningham Baths, Bradford
Opened 25 July 1904
Carlisle Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire
Listed Grade II on 21 June 2007
Queensbury Pool, Bradford
Opened 1891
Victoria Hall, Queensbury Sand Beds, Bradford, West Yorks
Listed Grade II on 7 March 1985
Batley baths
Opened 1893
Cambridge Street, Batley, West Yorkshire.
Listed Grade II on 11 February 1993
Bramley baths, Leeds
Opened 1904
Broad Lane, Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Listed Grade II on 11 September 1996
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Thanks , no idea there were so many!
Am particularly interested in memories of the Lidos in Holmfirth- those who swam there in the1920-40's will now be in their 80's, like my Mum. If any Rootchatters have elderly Holmfirth relatives, could you ask them if they remember?
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Heckmondwike baths. On the High Street, just above the town centre, near the fire station, and below the Grammar School, but on the opposite side of the road to the school.
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There are many photo's and comments covering almost all the public baths in Leeds, go to the www. Leodis.net/ website.
And enter Public Baths in the search engine, for Leeds and district.
West.
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Brighouse Baths Millroyd Street still there but disused as there are new ones at Wellhome Park.
Cleckheaton also had a set of public bathos the aptly named Bath Rd!! which i think have gone now and there is the large pool in Littletown
Ady
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Cambridge Road Baths Huddersfield. Mirf
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Knew Cambridge Rd. baths well - learned to swim there, Wagon Wheels to eat after each session!
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I learned to swim at Armley Baths, Leeds.
I remember the Wagon Wheels and cups of hot Bovril too!
I have an elderly friend I can ask about Holmfirth, will be seeing him tonight.
Jon
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Woodside baths at Boothtown, Halifax. There was a swimming pool and public baths there.
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I got my first cert. at the lido in Holmfirth, this was on the r/h side going up towards Cartworth Moor Rd. another one where we used to go was Scissett baths, one that as gone was in Penistone it was where the B 6462 meets the Huddersfield / Sheffield road going towards Ingbirchworth, there is a reservoir on the left and the pool was made for the American soldiers who were stationed in the area, the water was straight from the res. with no heating it was even cold in summer but bl--dy freezing on any dull day. Do any Penistonians recall it ?
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Hi Bodger, hope you're well!
The Holmfirth Lido was, according to my contacts, somewhere in the Rotcher/Goose Green area, exactly as you describe, on the way to Cartworth.
Apparently there was another open-air pool at Park Head, that's on the A635 Holmfirth-Greenfield Road, so it must have been somewhere near where Compo's Cafe now is.
By coincidence, I've just had fish'n'chips from there for my tea :)
Jon
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Brassbounder-Yum! can't beat fish + chips from that cafe!
Does anyone know exactly where the lido at Parkhead was?
I guess that , like the one at New Fold/Goose Green, it was privately owned by well-off people but open for public use, too.
Bodger- interesting to hear about the pool for Yankie servicemen. Do you know where the camp was?
My mother and her sisters+ brother all learned to swim at the New Fold lido in the 1930/40's, they lived in New Fold, so it was literally on their door-step. It was owned by the people at the big house, the Ballentynes, I think.
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Don't forget there was a Lido in Manningham Park
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Morley (nr Leeds) baths on Fountain Street
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1905 Ordnance Survey map for Halifax shows baths in the corner of People's Park - Park Road/King Cross Road - but not sure if swimming or public.
BumbleB
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Byker, not sure of the camp location, but i know they were stationed locally, there were bombs stacked along all the roadsides around Maythorne, Whitley Rd. etc, there is still the remains of the concrete guarhouse at the junction of Whitley Rd and the Ingbrichworth rd, it can be seen on Google satellite
regards, bodger
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I remember the Ramsden and Cambridge rd baths in huddersfield.
Hope bank pleasure grounds at brockholes (more known for boating)
There was a small dam on the holmfirth meltham road which was popular in summer - got dismantled in the 70s when the holmfirth pool was opened
Occasionally people used a small res at Cheesegate Nab - not me I always found reservoirs extrememly scary !
Someone has posted some photos of the Lido in ancestry member photos. You can search and see the thumbnails without a subscription
By the way - People with Holmfirth interest may want to look at my work in progress collection at http://www.werelate.org/wiki/HolmeVillageHome
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My father, aged 98 years, tells me he remembers swimming at Hunslet Baths when he was a young boy. One day they were told that "from next week there will be mixed bathing". He and his pals were horrified at the thought of "lasses" swimming at the same time!! Jazgran.
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I've listed a few of the baths in Halifax and Calderdale in my Calderdale Companion at
http://www.calderdalecompanion.co.uk/mmt3.html
Malcolm
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Sheffield had Glossop Road Baths and Heeley Baths.
Jill
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So many interesting replies!
Swimming and public baths clearly played a big role in the early-mid 20thC.
I wonder if this was because of the excercise value or more because they also originally had a bath-house /hygiene function?
Does anyone remember going to baths to have a bath rather than to swim? it was only in the mid20thC that having a bathroom indoors became common- we certainly had a tin bath in front of the fire, used once a week, until about 1955.
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Eyeee by gum lads and lasses.
I remember learning to swim at Armley Baths. The bovril was great after a 2 hour swimming session. The school I went to was Armley Park Sec Mod School and that is where we would walk once a week to do our lesson at Armley baths.
I used to go everynight when aged about 14 as I loved the salt biscuits and drink. The showers were always cold. It was a great place to look for lads who might be fanciable lol. The cubicles for changing were either side of the pool, the girls one side the boys the other. The naughty boys used to swim the same side as the ladies side to see if they could see up and under the small doors on the cubicles. No nude swimming in those days lol.
In Winter they used to put a floor over the baths and had dances where groups and singers were paid on a Saturday night as it was underused in Winter for swimming.
My Brothers used to go to Armley Baths for a bath. It was 6d. We didnt have a bathroom and inside toilet until 1964. I remember my Mum frightening me to death by saying if the water is too hot you will faint. I went with my sister and ran the bath really hot and felt faint just because my Mum had said so lol./
Dont forget you Leeds peeps we also had a lido at Roundhay Park where it was cool in those days to go and gig the lads or lasses for a date.
Happy memories and those were the days in the 1960's
regards Sandymc
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Normanton had a baths. even when I was young (60') you could still hire a towel and take a bath!
I remember Maggie Oxtail soup, Tomato crisps and Bovril drink from the Cafe.
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Public baths, not swimming, cleaning, yes i used to go every Friday night to Hollingworth public baths, even though i did'nt need one !!, 4 .00 old p, about 2 p today, you got a wee sliver of carbolic soap and a towel and about 10 mins in the bath
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Going back to Wagon Wheels choc biscuits after swimming- does anyone know if they still exist? I know they still did about 15 years ago but they seemed a lot smaller than in the 1950's!
Swimming costumes- any memories ?
What about those with shirring elastic bobbly patterns? or the endlessly streatchy hand-knitted ones?
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I was going to say that Wagon Wheels are alive & well & living in my fridge, but apparently SOMEONE has taken them to work >:( >:( >:(
Btw public baths for people without bathrooms were being used in Oxford until at least 1970. It's not all posh down south ;)
Regards, Carol
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hello bykerlads i remember ramsden st baths 25 yd pool in center of town and ont cambridge road i think it was a 33mtr pool, i played against huddersfield at polo during the 50's there are two former pools in halifax in schools, one at nursery lane, sec school and one in warley road school.
there is now two pools in the calderdale area that are unused the 25yd pool at sowerby bridge and the same at brighouse, this down to new pools. sowerby bridge has now opened up on what was the market place on station road, brighouse if it hasn't opened yet its due to be opened, another pool but supposedly not for the public was built in the field at the back of john atkinsons mill in sowerby bridge this was built as partly for one of the directors daughters to swim in and it was also the water supply to the mill for washing the blankets, they made best quality blankets and alwaysgave any royal that got married a pair as a wedding present, plum