thesis-final

When Water Drains Away

An Outline of Approaches for

the Adaptive Reuse of

Historic Baths in Britain

New York University

Yunjie Ni

2016


An Outline of Approaches for the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Baths in Britain

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Contents

Preface 03

Introduction

1. Definition of ‘bath’ and ‘pool’ 05

2. Topic 06

3. Research literature 08

Chapter One: The Explanation of Adaptive Reuse

1. Definition of ‘adaptive reuse’ 10

2. Reasons for adaptive reuse of historic buildings 12

3. General approaches of adaptive reuse 14

Chapter Two: The Evolution of Public Indoor Baths in Britain

1. Before 1846 21

2. Early Victorian period (18461870) 24

3. Late Victorian period (18701901) 26

4. Edwardian period (19011918) 30

5. Interwar period (19181945) 33

6. From postwar period (1945 ) 34

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Chapter Three: Case Studies for Adaptive Reuse of Historic Baths

1. Statistics 37

2. Case studies 38

3. Summary 53

Chapter Four: An Outline of Approaches for the Adaptive Reuse of Historic

Baths in Britain

1. Overall attitudes 54

2. Concrete approaches 56

3. Potential approaches 62

Appendix I: Discussions and Practices on Haggerston Baths

1. Introduction of Haggerston Baths 65

2. Discussions on existing proposals 71

3. Practices on potential proposals 73

Appendix II: Events Chronology Related to Historic Baths of Britain 83

Bibliography 85

Photographic Credits 89

Acknowledgements 96

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Preface

Pic.1: Ladywell Baths Pic.2: Haggerston Baths

When passing by a public architecture, such as a church, a bank, or a town hall, it is

natural to be impressed by its majestic and imposing atmosphere. Usually built initially

for cleanliness, with swimming as a later purpose, the functions of a bath do not sound

as holy as a church, or as authoritative as a town hall. Although baths buildings are also

included in public architecture, it is quite hard to imagine that they used to be designed

and constructed in such splendid and impressive styles as castles or palaces.

In September 2015, Ladywell Baths was listed by the Victorian Society in theTop Ten

Most Endangered Buildings 2015. It is surprising that this castlelike architecture was a 1

baths building before falling into disuse. Incidentally, this news is linked to the Victorian

Society’s other lists of top ten most endangered buildings. Haggerston Baths, a palatial

building, whose future revitalization is under heated discussion, was listed by the

1 Online source: The Victorian Society, Top Ten Most Endangered Buildings 2015, 15/09/2015.

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Victorian Society in 2013 . Both buildings made an impression on the author, and 2

aroused the author’s interest to investigate the historic public indoor baths of Britain.

2 Online source: The Victorian Society, Top Ten Most Endangered Buildings 2013, 16/10/2013.

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Introduction

1. The definition of ‘bath’ and ‘pool’

In Britain, historic public indoor swimming pools were originally known as public baths.

This name change may be confusing for readers to understand.

The word ‘baths’ is impressively carved on the façade of each building of historic public

indoor swimming pools in Britain. As the name suggests, in Britain, public baths were

mainly built for the poor working class to clean themselves and do their laundry. Baths

became popular after the 1846 Bath and Washhouses Act, hereafter referred to as the

1846 Act or the Act for the purposes of this thesis.

The 1846 Act is notable for three key points. Firstly, it declared that there should be

individual baths, which were also usually called ‘slipper baths’, designed for personal

bathing. Secondly, there should be washhouses for laundry. Thirdly, there should also

be ‘open bathing places’, known as plunge pools. By ‘open’ theAct did not mean indoor

or outdoor bathing places, but areas ‘where several persons bathe in the same water’.

Thus, although the main goal of the Act was to promote cleanliness among the poor

working class, and the word ‘swimming’ was not mentioned once in theAct, communal

bathing places or plunge pools constituted a new function of public baths. However, as

time went on, more homes were able to connect to a mains water supply. As a result,

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more people visited public baths to socialise and swim for fun and health than to take a

bath or to use the laundry facilities. 3

In order to respect the origin and the original name of public indoor swimming pools,

‘baths’ instead of ‘pools’ will be adopted to describe this type of historic buildings in this

thesis. Following the book Great Lengths: The historic indoor swimming pools of

Britain, ‘an historic pool is defined as one that opened prior to 1970 and that retains a

significant number of original features’, but in this thesis the historic baths are 4

constructed before 1945, the postwar period, which will be explained at the end of

Chapter Two.

2. Topic

In general, the historic baths of Britain include indoor and outdoor buildings, both of

which cover the public and private sectors. The subjects for discussion in this thesis

focus on the sector of public indoor baths.

Public indoor bath architecture was one of the forms of public buildings that were

central to the British way of life from 1864 until 1945, just afterWorldWar II. The public

indoor baths of Britain were created to serve the needs of the working class, including

bathing and laundry, when water supply was not common to most families. After 1870,

3 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 19. 4 Quoted, ibid, p. 12.

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when more homes were connected to a mains water supply, most public indoor baths

gradually became places for swimming. 5

The maintenance and security costs of a historic building should not be underestimated:

for instance, Hackney Council spends approximately £100,000 annually on preserving

Haggerston Baths. Every acre of land in Greater London is extremely valuable, and each 6

corner in Greater London generates vitality. It is impractical to spend large amounts of

money on maintaining useless land in this energetic city. Each of these two empty

historic public indoor baths should be able to enjoy a sustainable future after the

implementation of proper revitalization plans.

Based on the explanation of adaptive reuse (Chapter One), this thesis will illustrate the

evolution of public indoor baths in Britain (Chapter Two), and analyse a number of case

studies from the five sectors of leisure, entertainment, catering, residence, and business,

together with a summary of their approaches (Chapter Three). Finally the thesis will

conclude with an outline of approaches for the adaptive reuse of historic public indoor

baths in Britain (Chapter Four). Following the main thesis will be discussions on the

proposals for the future development of Haggerston Baths, along with two possible

practices for Haggerston Baths based on the analysis in former chapters (Appendix I). At

the end of this thesis, the significant issues relating to historic baths of Britain will be

listed according to chronology (Appendix II).

5 Ibid, p. 41. 6 Online source: Hackney Council Newsroom, Public meeting on future of Haggerston Baths, 29/09/2015.

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3. Research literature

The overall attitudes toward the knowledge of adaptive reuse in Chapter One are based

on a number of books, including: Aylin Orbasli’sArchitectural Conservation: Principles

and Practice;Old Buildings Looking for NewUse: 61 examples of regional architecture

between tradition and modernity, written by Pierre Thiébaut and translated into

English by Neil Stratton; Graeme Brooker and Sally Stone’s workRereadings: interior

architecture and the design principles of remodelling existing buildings; Architecture

Reborn: The Conversion and Reconstruction of Old Buildings, written by Kenneth

Powell; Sherban Cantacuzino’s Re/Architecture: Old buildings / New uses; and also

Edward Hollis’s The Secret Lives of Buildings.

The bookGreat Lengths: The historic swimming pools of Britain provides the essential

information for Chapter Two and Chapter Three. The book itself is a member of the

series named Played in Britain, which is an epic on sporting heritage, started in 2004.

The authors Dr Ian Gordon and Simon Inglis trace the history of Britain’s indoor baths,

focusing on the background of swimming heritage, but with limited words on the

projects of adaptive reuse. Another member of the series,Liquid Assets: The lidos and

open air swimming pools of Britain, written by Janet Smith, also contains relevant

information.

More main references include: the booklet Taking The Plunge: The architecture of

bathing, published by Save Britain’s Heritage, the issue in July 2006 of magazineThe

Victorian, the book Report on Public Baths and Washhouses in the United Kingdom,

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written by Agnes Campbell, and the bookPublic Baths andWashhouses: A Treatise on

Their Planning, Design, Arrangement, and Fitting, written by the architect Alfred

William Stephens Cross. There are also informations from Edward Hollis’ book The

Secret Lives of Buildings, and Jane Jacobs’ bookTheDeath and Life of Great American

Cities, the government documentPlanning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the

Historic Environment (PPG15), and diverse of online sources.

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Chapter One: The Explanation of Adaptive Reuse

‘... not only that buildings will change, but perhaps, also, that they should.’

Edward Hollis, The Secret Lives of Buildings 7

1. Definition of ‘adaptive reuse’

Adaptive reuse is a branch of architecture conservation, which respects buildings’

original significance, as well as their local cultural and natural environment. The 8

modern ideas about the conservation of old buildings were created by John Ruskin and

William Morris in Britain. They agreed that ‘buildingsmust change as societies change’ , 9

which can be comprehended as: when conserving the historical essence of old buildings,

their continuous life more or less requires construction changes to adapt to new

demands from the society.

The physical aspect of adaptation in relation to historic buildings is highlighted by

Edward Hollis in his book The Secret Lives of Buildings, that in order to preserve the

harmony between the old frame and the new functions, changes have to be introduced to

a building as time goes by. More specifically, when the function is changed, alterations 10

7 Quoted in Edward Hollis, The Secret Lives of Buildings, 2009, p. 10. 8 Pierre Thiébaut, translated into English by Neil Stratton, Old Buildings Looking for New Use, 2007, p. 9. 9 Quoted in Kenneth Powell, Architecture Reborn, 1999, p. 10. 10 Edward Hollis, The Secret Lives of Buildings, 2009, p. 13.

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may emerge to ‘the circulation route, the orientation, the relationships between spaces’ , 11

as well as the interior design.

In the interim, aside from physical adaptation, financial sustainability is also crucial

because it guarantees the continuedmaintenance of a historic building. Accordingly, any

new functions that are added to the existing construction should be based on the local

demands, which help to attract investment and gain popularity. This point of view is

supported by a government document, PPG15, whose full name is Planning Policy

Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment, which states that for the

majority of historic buildings to survive, they must be economically viable. 12

To summarize, adaptive reuse can be understood as the transformation of an old

building, creating a new form within its old fabric based on the compatibility of the

building itself and the requirements of its local environment. The key point is that the

significant qualities of a building are not lost, and meanwhile, integrated with financial

sustainability.

Factors of conservation and limited resources ensure that adaptive reuse is an inevitable

trend and will be more and more popular in modern society, especially in those

developed countries with a long history, such as Britain and other countries in Europe.

In fact, buildings have been adapted to new uses throughout history. To take an example

from the bookRereadings, the Roman Arena inNîmes, France, became a small fortified

11 Quoted in Graeme Brooker and Sally Stone, Rereadings, 2004, p. 11. 12 Department of National Heritage, PPG15, 1994, p. 15.

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town in the Middle Ages, with the inhabitants residing under the massive arches and

houses built in the open performance space (Pic. 3). 13

Pic. 3: Roman Arena in Nîmes, France (The Middle Ages)

2. Reasons for adaptive reuse of historic buildings

Jane Jacobs claimed in her bookTheDeath and Life of Great American Citiesthat cities

needed old buildings, even ‘a lot of plain, ordinary, lowvalue old buildings’ . Due to the 14

growing popularity of historical sites, it seems that nowadays more and more people,

from local residents to tourists, appreciate old buildings, which indicates the necessity of

architectural conservation.

In terms of cultural essence, a historic building usually plays a vital role in the fabric of

an area because of its contribution to the local architectural diversity. However, the

13 Graeme Brooker and Sally Stone, Rereadings, 2004, p. 9. 14 Quoted in Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961.

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environment is not ‘a static entity’ , but in continuous evolution. The original function 15

of a buildingmay not be able to conform to the new requirements from the environment.

Adaptive reuse is an effectivemethod that can help this existing building to sustain itself.

Meanwhile, new characteristics may be generated during adaptive reuse. Therefore,

adaptive reuse can not only help to maintain the fabric of the local community but also

enrich it.

Adaptive reuse can be also considered as a result of the interaction between economics

and politics. In his bookArchitecture Reborn, the author Kenneth Power highlights the

fact that reusing an existing building consumes considerably fewer resources than

tearing it down and then constructing a new one. The economic effects can lead to the 16

establishment of policies. During the postwar years, the British government instituted a

policy, stating that major works of alteration or reconstruction to listed buildings were

zerorated. In turn, these policies generated a positive incentive for the economics of 17

adaptive reuse.

Adaptive reuse can be applied not only to old buildings with a long history, but also

modern buildings with significance. For instance, as Zaha Hadid’s ‘first realized project

of her career’, Vitra Fire Station in Germany was completed in 1994 (Pic.4), and was

soon adapted to a museum of chairs (Pic.5), due to the factor that fire district lines were

redrawn. If a building enjoys the significance varying from historical, aesthetical and 18

technical, is designed by a famous architect in a creative style, or was rather popular with

15 Quoted in Aylin Orbasli, Architectural Conservation: Principles and Practice, 2008, p. 191. 16 Kenneth Powell, Architecture Reborn, 1999, p. 9. 17 Graeme Brooker and Sally Stone, Rereadings, 2004, p. 13. 18 Online source: Andrew Kroll, AD Classics: Vitra Fire Station / Zaha Hadid Architects, 19/02/2011.

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the public for a time, even a modern building should be used adaptively when the

requirement for it changes.

Pic. 4: Vitra Fire Station, Germany (1994) Pic.5: Vitra’s museum of chairs

In summary, the direct reason for adaptive reuse is the interactive effect of economics

and policies, while the essential one is related to the conservation of cultural continuity.

A building retains a memory of its previous purpose within its existing structure.

Combined with the new uses, an adaptively reused building, as amultilevel complex, can

enrich its local fabric, allowing it to be stronger to face the future challenges.

3. General approaches of adaptive reuse

From the basic logic, not all new uses are proper for a historic building. If the

requirements of the new uses would cause too much damage to the historic fabric of the

building itself or its local environment, or would consume too much resource to

maintain the operation of the building, the adaptive reuse is unlikely to be appropriate.

Accordingly, adaptive reuse is a complex issue, influenced by a variety of factors. A

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preliminary research shows that the approaches of adaptive reuse can be generally

considered from four aspects: the developmental strategies, the economic

considerations, the physical constructions, and the aesthetic values.

a. The developmental strategies

As explained in the former section, that adaptive reuse is not only the transformation of

the construction of a building but also needs to respect the fabric of its local community.

Therefore, in terms of the developmental strategies of a building, adaptive reuse may

have to consider the location and the scale of that building.

Like most commercial property, location is a vital factor in how a historic building will

be conserved and reused. The location itself may have particular demands, which will 19

affect the direction for the adaptive reuse of the local buildings.

If the historic building has a large scale, instinctively it is appropriate to be fit for public

uses such as museums and art venues. Butmeanwhile, numerous examples have proved

that large historic buildings look for commercial uses and can be suitable to be converted

‘into a workspace for small firms, into several housing units, or into a mix of uses’ . 20

19 Aylin Orbasli, Architectural Conservation, Principles and Practice, 2008, p. 194. 20 Quoted in Sherban Cantacuzino, Re/Architecture: Old buildings / New uses, 1989, p. 9.

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b. The economic considerations

In general, reusing the historic buildings with tourism purposes can increase the

awareness of their historical value and help to attract more investment for their further

development. For sure developing tourism is not the only choice, which points out that

the financial sustainability can be seen as a foundation for the development of a building

or an area.

According to Aylin Orbasli’s statement in his book Architectural Conservation,

Principles and Practice, in order to realise a financial sustainability for a building,

considerations that are connected to the demands of the local environment for the

adaptive reuse of the building should be seriously concentrated on. In other words, the 21

cost of adaptive reuse needs to be weighed against the economic value of its potential

results. For example, if there is not a ready market for certain uses in a place, the

development strategies for the adaptive reuse of a building should be reconsidered.

c. The physical constructions

Aside from the establishment developmental strategies and the considerations of

economic viability, adaptive reuse depends on ‘imaginative design solutions’ for 22

physical constructions. There are various challenges in the physical aspect, such as the

safety facilities, energy efficiency, as well as the structural alternations.

21 Aylin Orbasli, Architectural Conservation, Principles and Practice, 2008, p. 194. 22 Quoted, ibid, p. 192.

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Charles Bloszies highlights the fact in his book Old Buildings, New Designs:

Architectural Transformations, that most buildings over fiftyyearsold lack safety

facilities, such as enough fire staircases and exits. The inefficient singlepane glass, and

the old heatingcooling systems in old buildings usually consume much more energy

than modern buildings. To solve the problems of safety energy, modern equipment 23

with advanced technologies should be added. During the process of addition, the inner

constructions of the building may have to be alternated. However, the major structure

which usually remains the most significant element, should not be changed. Therefore,

adaptations are more likely to emerge in the internal layout and envelope of the

building.

One approach that is often applied to solve complex circulation problems is to generate

small interventions, such as light wells, lifts, and additional staircases. For instance, the

luxurious shopping mall Royal Exchange in London (Pic.6), covered with a roof the

inner courtyard enables the introduction of a cafe in the central area and eased the

pressure of bad weathers for visitors. Meanwhile, in certain cases, it is necessary to

insert a new structure into the courtyard to support the new roof, which is noticed by

Aylin Orbasli. 24

23 Charles Bloszies, Old Buildings, New Designs: Architectural Transformations, 2012, p. 21. 24 Aylin Orbasli, Architectural Conservation, Principles and Practice, 2008, p. 202.

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Pic.6: Royal Exchange, London

Another common approach is adoptingmaterials such as the steel and glass to adjust the

envelope of a reused building. The transparency, reflection, and lightness of glass, which

is pointed out by Pierre Thiébaut in one of his books, and the flexibility and lightness of

steel, make it easier for these two materials to create suitable integration into the

existing building. Accordingly, an addition to the elevation wrapped in the glass and 25

constructed with steel is transparent and less obstructive in a landscape, which can be

seen in the St Pancras International Station, London (Pic.7). Thismay be another way in

which the glazing elevation utilizes its reflective properties to help the building fit into

the surrounding landscape by reflecting it, such as the black curtain glass on the

elevation of National Gallery Sainsbury Wing in London (Pic.8).

25 Pierre Thiébaut, translated into English by Neil Stratton, Old Buildings Looking for New Use, 2007, p. 9.

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Pic.7: St Pancras International Station, London Pic.8: National Gallery Sainsbury Wing, London

d. The aesthetic values

Generally there are two main directions for the alterations and additions in adaptive

reuse. One direction is maintaining the harmony and unity with the original style of the

building, relating to the scale and the proportions. According to Aylin Orbasli’s

descriptions in his bookArchitectural Conservation, Principles and Practice, ‘pastiche’ 26

and ‘facadism are included in this direction. To take an example of pastiche, the 27

historic styles of new development in London’s Spitalfields is a mimic to conform to the

18thcentury buildings across the street. The architecture for Primark on the Oxford

Street, which retains its historic façade but constructs a new building behind, is a

representative of facadism. Similar instances can be seen along the streets in central

London.

26 Quoted in Aylin Orbasli, Architectural Conservation, Principles and Practice, 2008, p. 204. 27 Quoted, ibid, p. 205.

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The other direction is ‘stress[ing] contrast, dichotomy and even dissonance’ between 28

the old building and the new adaptations. For instance, Norman Foster’s approach of

design to the British Museum (Pic.9) demonstrates that the huge glazed dome covers

above the classic stone columns, producing dramatic collision of two differentmaterials

and creating a new space experience, which is popular with both designers and visitors.

Pic.9: The British Museum, London

* * *

FromChapter One, it can be learnt that because of the respect for the local fabric and the

limited social resources, adaptive reuse is an effective method for revitalizing a single

building regardless whether old or new, and therefore contributes to the regeneration of

an area. The following Chapter Two will trace the evolution of public indoor baths in

Britain based on the historical background.

28 Quoted in Kenneth Powell, Architecture Reborn, 1999, p. 18.

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Chapter Two: The Evolution of Public Indoor Baths in Britain

‘Its evolution in Britain falls into several distinct periods, governedmainly by changing

social patterns and by advances in technology.’

Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths 29

1. Before 1846

Pic.10: The Great Baths, Bath

Developed around the 2nd century AD as a healing place, the Great Baths at Bath (Pic.10)

is widely known as the first baths built in Britain, supplied by hot spring water. It

provided an exemplary form for the later baths : a rectangular pool surrounded by a 30

29 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 19. 30 Ibid, 2009, p. 18.

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colonnade, with changing rooms behind the colonnade. From the plan of St George’s

Baths in Liverpool (1829) this arrangement can be seen (Pic.11).

Pic.11: The St George’s Baths, Liverpool

There were changes to this prototype of course. The shape of a pool was not always

rectangular but circular, oval, or polygon. For examples, the Tepid Baths (1832) on Beau

Street in Bath was ovalshaped (Pic.12), and theNational Baths (1844) inHighHolborn,

London, was Tshaped. In addition, the colonnade did not always enclose the pool from

four sides. For instances, in the Tepid Bath there was no colonnade at all but walls, with

one side connecting to the changing rooms; in London’sMetropolitan Baths (1843) there

was one side with colonnade and the other three were with changing rooms behind

(Pic.13).

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Pic.12: The Tepid Bath, Bath Pic.13: The Metropolitan Baths, London

Because of the promotion of swimming by influential physicians, Britain’s changeable

weather and the disagreement of churches on outdoor bathing for its ‘undertones of

indulgence and immorality’ , swimming baths had appeared in private houses before 31

1846. Around 1832 serious cholera outbreaks first happened around the port in

Liverpool, filled with poor working class, and soon in London’s poorest districts. This

cholera calamity finally led to the formulation of the1846 Baths andWashhouses Act. 32

‘After 1846, local authorities were empowered to borrow or raise money in order to

construct public baths affordable to all.’ It can be considered that the publication of the 33

1846 Act is the first booming point in the history of Britain’s indoor baths architecture,

mainly for promoting the public health, but not for swimming, and since then indoor

baths architecture has shared its role in Britain’s public construction and civilisation . 34

31 Quoted in Janet Smith, Liquid Assets, 2005, p. 10. 32 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 26. 33 Quoted , ibid, p. 19. 34 Agnes Campbell, Report on public baths and washhouses in the United Kingdom, 1918, p. 133.

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2. Early Victorian period (18461870)

From 1846 to 1870, before the water supply was available for most common families,

slipper baths and laundries were the main constituents along with the plunge pools in

public baths, while cottage baths, which only provide shower and laundries, were also

popular. Based on the Roman form, there were several types of arrangement, but all with

class distinction and gender distinction. Seen in the plan of Bilston Baths (1852), cubical

slipper baths and wash houses surrounded the pool and changing rooms (Pic.14).

Whereas according to the plan of Lambeth Baths in London (1853), changing rooms

were on the pool sides while slipper baths and wash houses were located as a line with

the pool (Pic.15).

Pic.14: Bilston Baths, near Birmingham Pic.15: Lambeth Baths, London

Although the 1846 Act was concerned for the improvement of public sanitation rather

than swimming, soon at least four factors emerged to promote the position of swimming

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in the baths. The first factor was the growing concerns for water safety. In themid19th 35

century, urban populations increased quickly, but most British were unable to swim,

which led to more accidents of drowning in urban rivers, ponds and canals. Secondly,

the public consciousness of indecency was improved in this period. Indoor swimming

could help those swimmers who did not own a swimming costume but enjoyed naked

swimming in the open air. The third motivation came from the fanaticism for

hydrotherapy. Lastly, with new technologies and materials, plus innovative ideas,

Victorian architects and engineers were enthusiastic in building complex and large

baths. 36

The first three factors above are demands from the society, while the last one is based on

the pursuit of sophisticated structure. Referred to in the bookGreat Lengths, Paxton’s

iron and glass Crystal Palace, built for the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, was

assumed as ‘an inspirational model for Britain’s first generation of specialist baths

designers’. New materials, iron, glass and ‘glazed tiling’ , along with new connection 37 38

technologies, increased the capability of scope for a swimming hall and also encouraged

the architects and engineers to challenge more majestic construction of buildings,

including indoor baths.

A similar construction imitating the Crystal Palace could be seen in the roof structure of

Lambeth Baths (1853): the complex truss supported the vast roof and the long glaze in

the middle of the roof provided natural brightness for swimmers (Pic.16). Moreover, a

35 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 33. 36 Ibid, p. 34. 37 Quoted, ibid, p. 36. 38 Quoted in Agnes Campbell, Report on public baths and washhouses in the United Kingdom, 1918, p.106.

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more impressive utilization could be seen in Brill’s Gentlemen’s Baths in Brighton

(1869): with a second level corridor enclosed, the circular swimming pool was covered

by a sophisticated dome roof, which was constructed by iron and glass (Pic.17).

Pic.16: Lambeth Baths, London Pic.17: Brill’s Gentlemen’s Baths, Brighton

3. Late Victorian period (18701901)

After 1870 entering the late Victorian era, swimming came to become the public baths’

main source of income, the original sanitary purpose was no longer the baths’ primary

concern. Based on the social development in population and equality, the number of 39

public baths increased rapidly in this period. Most of these baths were designed as

sophisticated and multifunctional complexes, in order to attract more users from 40

middle class and female gender, and conform to the public’s growing interest in diverse 41

kinds of sporting entertainment.

39 Ian Gordon, ‘Great pools of splendour’, The Victorian, No.22 July 2006, p. 5. 40 Save Britain’s Heritage, Taking the Plunge: The architecture of bathing, 1982, p. 9. 41 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 51.

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The development of multipurpose character started with private baths, which were free

of ‘legislative control’ . Public baths were not allowed to have this character until May 42

1878 when amendments to the 1846 Act came out. Moreover, when two further

amendments respectively passed in August 1896, and August 1899, public baths in

Britain were able to stage ‘music or dancing’. During the winter, by ‘draining their 43

largest and therefore costliest pool and hiring out the space for other activities’ , 44

earnings could be raised, which helped to sustain the buildings. According to two images

of Lambeth Baths, London, in 1868 (Pic.18) and 1881 (Pic.19), the drained swimming

pool was fit for a variety of sports, thanks to the spacious construction of the hall.

Pic.18: Lambeth Baths, London Pic.19: Lambeth Bath, London

As public baths gradually became multifunctional complexes for various sorts of

activities varying from aquatics, sport to entertainment performance, socialisation was

playing a more and more important role. Therefore, specific area of stands and seats for

spectators on a higher level than the pool came to be indispensable. The audience could

stand at the circular gallery walk above the changing rooms to enjoy watching the games

42 Quoted, ibid, p. 52. 43 Quoted, ibid, p. 60. 44 Quoted, ibid, p. 52.

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or any activities that happened in the pool. The Graphic published in 1891 (Pic.20),

shows that a huge crowd gathered at the stands that enclosed the pool and watched the

water polo match excitedly in Crown Baths, Kennington. Later in the 1890s, in order to

improve the experience of the audience, the walk was expanded and thus seats emerged,

which can be seen in Cossington Road Baths, Leicester (Pic.21).

Pic.20: Crown Baths in Kennington, London Pic.21: Cossington Road Baths, Leicester

‘In many baths iron lattice roof girders took place of timber, before being superceded by

steel in the 1890s.’ As demonstrated in the last section that iron had been popular since 45

the early Victorian era, most baths established in the late Victorian period applied iron

while much fewer still used timber to construct the roof. The advancement of materials

can always lead to more sophisticated construction, and therefore the introduction of

steel in the 1890s helped Britain’s baths tomove forward a big step. Steel ismore flexible

in shaping and stronger to bear more weight. Thus, from the late Victorian era, the roof

could be built with larger span which was supported by arched steel beams. The pitched

roof combined with arched steel provides a 30’wide scale for GWRMedical Fund Baths,

45 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 58.

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Swindon (Pic.22), and the arched roof shored up by arched steel reaches 40 feet in width

in Victoria Baths, Nottingham (Pic.23).

Pic.22: GWR Medical Fund Baths, Swindon Pic.23: Victoria Baths, Nottingham

Featured in 1875, the illustrations of Charing Cross Floating Bath in London (Pic.24 &

Pic.25) show a gorgeous pool covered by a glasshouselike roof, with two arched bridges

across the width instead of diving boards at the edge. The emergence of floating baths 46

on the river was also part of the story in the Late Victorian Period, indicating visitors’

pursuit for merriment from swimming and entertainment more than the cleaning

purpose when visiting the baths.

Pic.24, Pic.25: Charing Cross Floating Bath, London

46 Ibid, p. 63.

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.

4. Edwardian period (19011918)

During the Edwardian period, it could be said that public indoor baths welcome an

unprecedented prosperity, partially thanks to the technological advancement. The 1908 47

Olympics also fuelled the public’s interest of swimming. Ladies and children swimming

stepped forward considerably, so that pools, particularly for women or children,

appeared. 48

During the 1890s, the wider use of electric lighting helped to improve the lightness of 49

the pool after sunset, prolonging the baths’ service time especially in winter. However,

‘experiments with different roof structures continued throughout the Edwardian period’,

in order to search for approaches to ‘maximise natural light yet avoid glare’, and prevent

the shadow caused by the ‘clutter of lattice girders’ and the lantern lights, which

identified as ‘monotonous and ugly’ by a famous baths architect Alfred Cross. 50

Cross’s utilization of the arched roof with steel framework ‘concealed under panelled

plaster’ was popular, not only generating a bright and gentle atmosphere, but also

helping to decrease the echo problem in the swimming hall, which can be seen at 51

Haggerston Baths, London (Pic.26),and later at Northumberland Baths, Newcastle

(Pic.27).

47 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 109. 48 Agnes Campbell, Report on public baths and washhouses in the United Kingdom, 1918, p. 134. 49 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 58. 50 Ibid, p. 114. 51 Ibid.

30



.

Pic.26: Haggerston Baths, London Pic.27: Northumberland Baths, Newcastle

Steel truss was another roof structure that was widely applied in this period. Its light

construction can create similar sense of brightness as the archedsteel framework,

without affecting the clear ambience of the swimming hall because the trusses are thin

enough. Baths such as Bramley Baths in Leeds, Victoria Baths in Manchester (Pic.28),

and Grove Lane Baths in Birmingham (Pic.29), adopted this construction.

Pic.28: Victoria Baths, Manchester Pic.29: Grove Lane Baths, Birmingham

Although seats along the pool emerged in the late Victorian period, they were not in the

common design for baths. As described in Great Lengths, during the Edwardian era,

architect Alfred Cross generated two forms of amphitheatre seating. One form of seating

31



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was located above the changing cubicles, surrounding the pool from three sides, which

can be seen at Hoxton Baths in London (Pic.30), another work of Alfred Cross but

demolished in 1962. The other form was at the same level of the pool, with changing

rooms arranged behind the top row of seats, which can be seen at Haggerston Baths

when it was first built in 1904 (Pic.31).

Pic.30: Hoxton Baths, London Pic.31: Haggerston Baths, London

‘In the case of swimming, for sure before 1914 it could be said that Britain’s public baths

led the world.’ With the promotion of construction and design, such as the steel roof 52

and the amphitheatre seating, public indoor baths in the Edwardian period can be

considered reaching a peak. Nonetheless, the following two wars broke the flourishing

momentum of baths in Britain.

52 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 175.

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.

5. Interwar period (19181945)

‘As the 1920s wore on, a whole range of sporting novelties captured the public’s

imagination: greyhound and speedway racing, darts, snooker, ice skating and ice hockey.

Cycling, rambling and camping took off too.’ A rebirth of facilities for sporting was 53

gradually in progress, which suggested the longing of most Britons for entertainment

and freedom after the hardship of World War I. However, it was still a hard time for

construction because of the tight economy, and this recovery had to suspend when

World War II came in 1939.

Indoor baths were considered expensive, so the open air baths, or ‘lidos’ as they were

also known commonly, came to be popular in the 1930s with their simpler and cheaper

construction. Learning from the design of lidos, the indoor baths from the interwar 54

period onwards did not build with separate entrances or circulations to distinguish the

classes and genders any longer, which helped in a more economical construction and

more convenient operation. In the outlay of either Ashington Baths, Northumberland

(Pic.32), or the outlay of Ironmonger Row Baths, London (Pic.33), there is one big pool

for mix swimming and users from all class.

53 Quoted, ibid, p. 169. 54 Ibid, p. 170.

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.

Pic.32: Ashington Baths, Northumberland Pic.33: Ironmonger Row Baths, London

Around the 1930s, reinforced concrete became one of the main materials in baths

construction, providing more possibility for baths’ space form. As a new material,

although reinforced concrete proved to be ‘more fire resistant than steel, and required

less maintenance’, most architects did not dare to take the risk to widely apply it during

this period. 55

6. From postwar period (1945)

After the World War II, beginning with the 1943 County of London Plan, Britain tried to

recover and revitalize again. Because ‘swimming was a cheap form of relaxation’ and

‘mixed bathing had now become the norm’ , refurbishment projects for numerous 56

Victorian and Edwardian baths started, meanwhile, new aquatic facilities came to be

constructed.

55 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 114. 56 Quoted, ibid, p. 227.

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.

When facing the option of refurbishment or replacement of historic indoor baths, the

local authorities tend to choose the latter. The modern requirements for a swimming 57

place became higher than the original design standards of baths. However, although 58

historic indoor baths may not qualify enough to adapt to these new challenges, their

construction is still stronger than many types of buildings in resisting moisture and

corrosive impact of chlorine. In addition to the spacious layout of baths, these

advantages enable historic baths to fit in various functions other than providing

swimming spaces.

The postwar period was a time when the international modern style, which is famous 59

for its concrete construction with cleancut edges and largescale curtainwall windows,

became popular in architecture design, because of its construction convenience. When

the digital technologies were added to the international modern style, their newborn

digital style became mainstream in the 21st century.

Since 1945 most swimming baths have been built in the internationalmodern style with

reinforced concrete, which has brought its own problems through wear and corrosion.

Therefore, the historic baths discussed in the later chapters of this thesis are established

before 1945, the postwar period.

* * *

57 Ibid, p. 14. 58 Save Britain’s Heritage, Taking The Plunge: The architecture of bathing, 1982, p. 21. 59 Ibid, p. 5.

35



.

That newer constructions replace the older, and inserting new functions into the existing

buildings, are always happening, the indoor baths have no exception. As mentioned in

Great Lengths, perhaps the earliest known case is the conversion of Baths of Diocletian

in Ancient Roman (Pic.34) into Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs

(Pic.35) in the 1560s. 60

Pic.34: Baths of Diocletian, Rome Pic.35: Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, Rome

After tracing the evolution of baths architecture in Britain, the following Chapter Three

will focus on the case studies of the adaptive reuse of baths from five sectors, which are

leisure, entertainment, catering, residence, and business, analysing the alternations of

each case.

60 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 265.

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Chapter Three: Case Studies for Adaptive Reuse of Historic Baths

‘Generally the best way of securing the upkeep of historic buildings and areas is to keep

them in active use. For the great majority this must mean economically viable uses if

they are to survive, and new, and even continuing, uses will often necessitate some

degree of adaptation.’

Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15) 61

1. Statistics

The latest statistics come from the Directory of the book Great Lengths: The historic

indoor swimming pools of Britain, investigated at the end of 2008. The Directory lists

the indoor baths built from 1800 to 1970, but not including ‘cottage baths’ that were

used only for washing. There are 288wholly or partially surviving indoor baths, of which

exactly half are no longer in use for swimming. Among these 144 survivors, a quarter

remained by late 2008. 116 surviving indoor baths are listed as heritage with

architectural or historical valuation, including 84 in England, 29 in Scotland and 3 in

Wales. 64 listed baths are not operated for swimming. It seems that adaptive reuse of

historic baths in 21stcentury Britain is becoming a more and more popular trend. 62

61 Quoted in Department of National Heritage, PGG15, 1994, p. 15. 62 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 278283.

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2. Case studies

Since around 1870, historic public baths of Britain have assumed a basic pattern,

roughly consisting of an entrance block including the reception, offices, and sometimes

several caretakers’ apartments; one ormore swimming halls alongwith changing rooms;

slipper baths divided into two areas for gentlemen and ladies separately; and a laundry

section, usually connected with the ladies’ baths. In general, themost valuable adaption

emerges in the reuse of the pool space, because it is large and empty so that many

possibilities can happen there.

‘After all, adaptive reuse is not a one way street and never has been.’ The following 63

cases are organised in five sectors, revealing different kinds of human needs and,

indicating the changes of the baths’ original space.

a. Leisure

As described in Chapter Two, since the late Victorian period, public baths in Britain have

been the subject of upgrading to multipurpose uses. By covering the pool tank with

frames and boards, a gymnasium or many ball games can happen under the same roof

with swimming. Renewing and converting a historic baths building into a leisure centre

may be the most common approach for adaptive reuse of a historic baths building.

Slightly more than half of historic baths in Greater London were converted into leisure

centres partially or completely, and each of them conserved at least one swimming pool 64

63 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 275. 64 Ibid, p. 278283.

38



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and refurbished the entire building to meet the modern safety and energysaving

standards.

Opened in 1892 and listed in 1993 as Grade II, London’s Dulwich Baths used to have two

swimming pools. In 2002 Dulwich Baths was restored as Dulwich Leisure Centre, and

its larger pool was fitted into amodern gymnasium (Pic.36). Bymaintaining the design 65

of the skylight, boarding over one of the pools to arrange gym facilities, tearing down the

surrounding changing cubicles to release space for equipment, and preserving the

gallery walk with seats for breaks, a bright and open space for exercisers was generated.

Pic.36: Dulwich Baths, London

Southport’s Victoria SaltWater Baths was first opened in 1871, listed in 1976 as Grade II,

and now it is occupied by the Victoria Leisure Club. Its gentlemen’s first class pool 66

(Pic.37) was altered and remodelled: the pool was conserved (Pic.38), and the hall was

divided into two sections by a slab, with gymnasium on the second floor (Pic.39). By this

approach, the utilization of the space can be increased, meanwhile, a unique exercising

experience under the historic steel arches can be created.

65 Ibid, p. 86. 66 Ibid.

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.

Pic.37: Historic Victoria Baths, Southport

Pic.38: Nowadays The upper floor gym space Pic.39: Nowadays The lower floor swimming pool

Similar implementation can be seen at St Matthew’s Baths in Ipswich (Pic.40), which

opened in 1922 and now it is operated as Gym Ipswich (Pic.41). The difference is that 67

its swimming pool was demolished.


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Pic.40: Historic St Matthew’s Baths, Ipswich Pic.41: Nowadays The upper floor

b. Entertainment

With enough height and span, historic indoor baths have potential to adapt to many

public functions for entertainment, such as markets, performance spaces andmuseums,

which usually share similar space form as well as similar public characteristics.

First opened in 1904 and closed in 1987, Lister Drive Baths in Liverpool (Pic.42) is now

called Lister Fisheries and Pet Centre, selling fish, birds, dogs and cats. The former first 68

class pool was divided into several fishponds (Pic.43), and the former second class pool

was covered by a raised floor (Pic.44), serving for stock (Pic.45). This site has been part

of Liverpool residents’ life from the past to now, from the baths to the petmarket, under

the same roof.

68 Ibid, p. 269.

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Pic.42: Historic Lister Drive Baths, Liverpool Pic.43: Nowadays The first class pool

Pic.44: Nowadays The second class pool Pic.45: The pool’s raised floor and the original tiles

Montpellier Baths in Cheltenham, which is now called the Playhouse Theatre, has a long

and complicated history. Built in 1806 as a spa site, it was converted into a public

swimming pool in 1898 (Pic.46) and later into the theatre known today in 1945 (Pic.47).

From the baths to the theatre, its original iron arches were conserved as decoration for 69

the present interior. The gallery walks were enlarged as working aisles, allowing the

small iron sections to appear entire. The old pool tank is covered by the stage and

amphitheatre seats, under which is used as a storage area.


42



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Pic.46: Montpellier Baths, Cheltenham Pic.47: The Playhouse Theatre

Built in 1888, Rolfe Street Baths (Pic.48) now is the Black Country Living Museum. 70

The former swimming pool was converted to an exhibition venue (Pic.49). The pool was

covered for the exhibits, and the wall with doors connected to changing roomswas torn

down to enlarge the exhibition space. But its original perforated iron girders were

maintained, the design of the roof was also conserved, with modern fluorescent lights

and ventilation openings added in the middle.

Pic.48: Historic Rolfe Street Baths, Smethwick Pic.49: Nowadays Black Country Living Museum

By covering the pool, different kinds of entertaining activities are allowed to arise in the

same space, continuing to provide fun for visitors to experience. A similar approach can

70 Ibid, p. 273.

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also be seen in York Hall Baths, London, which was established in 1929. Its former

secondclass pool was converted into a venue (Pic.50) which can be rented for weddings,

exhibitions, conferences and concerts, especially for boxing matches (Pic.51).

Pic.50: Nowadays York Hall Baths Pic.51: York Hall Baths used for boxing

c. Catering

Catering spaces such as pubs, are social spaces that play a vital role in British life, while

socialisation has always been one of the main reasons for the British to go to a public

baths since around 1870. In addition, a pub usually needs an open space for customers

to see each other more easily and communicate with each other more casually, while

most historic baths can provide this ideal space form. Probably these are connections

that arouse investors’ interests in adapting at least part of a historic baths to a pub. As a

preliminary research shows, the JD Wetherspoon, a British catering enterprise, which

has a chain of restaurants and pubs in Britain, participated in four investments of

converting historic indoor baths to pubs.

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Hillsborough Baths in Sheffield (Pic.52), opened in 1926 and closed in 1990, is now the

Rawson Spring Pub, belonging to the JD Wetherspoon. The pool was boarded over 71

serving for tables (Pic.53). The changing cubicles were demolished, with the

establishment of a bar on one side (Pic.54) and arrangement of service equipment, such

as the payment counter and toilets, on the other (Pic.55). Alongwith the steel fences, the

original gallery walk was conserved and now is arranged with tables.

Pic.52: Historic Hillsborough Baths, Sheffield Pic.53: Nowadays The Rawson Spring Pub

Pic.54: Nowadays The bar Pic.55: Nowadays New service equipment

The other three investments of the JD Wetherspoon are Bradford Central Baths in

Bradford, Glossop Road Baths in Sheffield, and Allhallows Lane Baths in Kendal.


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Bradford Central Baths, which also used to be named Windsor Baths and opened in

1905, has been occupied by the Sir Titus Salt Pub (Pic.56) since 1998. Opened in 1898,

Glossop Road Baths is now the Swim Inn Pub (Pic.57), and Allhallows Lane Baths is now

operated as the Sir Miles Thompson Pub, which is named after its original designer. 72

Pic.56: Nowadays The Sir Titus Salt Pub Pic.57: Nowadays The Swim Inn Pub

d. Residence

Adaptively reusing historic architecture as flats is commonwithmany types of buildings,

varying from town halls, churches, libraries, arenas to, of course, baths. There is always a

need for settling down. In most cases of baths, the entrance block is often the first

section to be converted because it usually already has one or two apartments for

caretakers, and the cubicle offices in it are easy to be reused as a residence. As for the

spaces containing the pools, there are roughly two approaches to dividing the hall into

residential units with the relevant living space. Although the former approach is more

widely applied, the later once utilised, can be terrific.


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The more often used approach can be seen at Handsworth Baths in Birmingham 73

(Pic.58) and Hammersmith Public Baths in London (Pic.59), both opened in 1907, and

the large pool spaces were converted into cubicle flats (Pic.60 & Pic.61). It is an

economic way but hard to allow residents to experience the baths’ original characters,

such as the feeling of space under the largespan arches made with iron, steel or

concrete.

Pic.58: Handsworth Baths, Birmingham Pic.59: Hammersmith Public Baths, London

Pic.60 & 61: Nowadays A flat in Hammersmith residence

The other approach to reuse the space under the pool roof is perfectly presented at the

old Penarth Public Baths, which is located across Penarth Pier, Vale of Glamorgan. First

73 Online source: Birmingham City Council, Handsworth Highlights, 2010, p. 7.

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opened in 1885, listed Grade II in 1984, Penarth Public Baths was converted into a 74

threestory home with five bedrooms (Pic.62) by Paul Smith for his family. 75

The top story is designed to be common space, including the living room, dining room

and kitchen (Pic.63, Pic.64 & Pic.65), in order to conserve the spacious original

atmosphere under the elegant perforated arches as much as possible. Space on the

ground floor and the first floor is arranged for bedrooms (Pic.66), toilets, and an

equipped spa (Pic.67). By this approach, the historic character can be maintained,

allowing residents living here to imagine the feelings of swimming in a public baths in

the past, though it may not be affordable for an ordinary workingclass family.

Pic.62: The overlook of Penarth Public Baths Home Pic.63: The first and second floors

Pic.64: Living room on the second floor Pic.65: Living room and kitchen on the second floor

74 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 274. 75 Online source: Emma Reynolds, ‘Derelict Victorian baths are turned into a dream home worth £1.2million by former schoolboy who learned to swim here’, Mail Online, 17/07/2012.

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Pic.66: Bedroom on the ground floor Pic.67: Indoor spa on the ground floor

e. Business

As described in Chapter One, adaptive reuse of a historic building can acquire more

financial support from the government as well as the public. It is an economic way for

investors, and therefore many enterprises are more willing to reuse a historic building

rather than purchase a floor of space in a modern building for their offices. To adapt

historic baths to business spaces, there are also two main approaches.

The first approach is similar with the one practised in catering space, which can be seen

in Cheltenham College Baths. Opened in 1880, CheltenhamCollege Baths was converted

into the records office of the GloucestershireHospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2000. 76

The records office is designed as an open space where faculties work together on the first

floor on what used to be the audience’s balcony, under the large roof which is supported

by steel trusses (Pic.68). The ground floor which used to be the swimming pool was

raised and covered with new tiles. Without anything arranged in this area, the hall’s


49



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original sense of spaciousness is maintained. The former changing rooms were torn

down and shelves were established for the storage of documents (Pic.69).

Pic.68: Nowadays Cheltenham College Baths Pic.69: The shelves for records

A similar approach can be used in converting baths into libraries, for example,

Leamington Public Baths in Warwick (Pic.70 & Pic.71). In this case, except for covering

the pool, a new staircase was added to link the ground floor to the former gallery floor.

Pic.70 & Pic.71: Nowadays Leamington Public Baths, Warwick

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Another approach is to build a new construction inside the baths area, redividing the

original space. AshtonOld Baths inManchester (Pic.72 & Pic.73), which was first opened

in 1870 and listed Grade II* in 1975, is an appreciated example. 77

Pic.72: Ashton Old Baths, Manchester Pic.73: Ashton Old Baths, Manchester

From April 2015 to February 2016, AshtonOld Baths (AshtonunderLyne Public Baths)

has been converted into a business hub, which can be rented for small and

mediumsized enterprises with digital, creative or media business. Awooden structure 78

with four stories has been built within the main pool space, creating space for offices,

meeting rooms and other facilities. The first story is relevantly more open than the

others, with a large meeting room enclosed by glass (Pic.74). On the top floor of the

wooden construction, there is a terrace right facing the original wall on the former Deep

End side. Standing on the terrace, it is rather inspiring to clearly see the old

semicircular arches and the timber roof (Pic.75), imaging the old days swimming here.

77 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 64. 78 Online source: H.H. Smith & Sons Co. Ltd., Ashton Old Baths, Ashton, Manchester, February 2016, p. 1.

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Pic.74: Nowadays Creative business hub Pic.75: Nowadays The terrace on the top floor

This approach may cause a sense of conflict between the new construction and the old

fabric because of their different styles, but it maymore likely create a sense of fun to the

space because novel elements can always delight an outmoded place. Similar practice

can be seen in other historic buildings such as St Paul’s Church, Old Ford (Pic.76 &

Pic.77).

Pic.76: St Paul’s Church, Old Ford Pic.77: New structure and old fabric

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3. Summary

Numerous historic baths in Britain have experimented with adaptive reuse in various

new functions. In many cases, the tank floor has been raised; the changing cubicles have

been torn down; and the windows, the walk gallery and roof construction have been

preserved. In the certain types of reuse the tank is boarded but used as storage; the walk

gallery is torn down but new floors are inserted in; and the windows have to be covered

from the inside but the frames are conserved so that can be seen from the outside.

Different functions may be able to share the same form of space and utilize similar

approaches, while similar functions may be arranged in different forms of space and

utilize different approaches.

* * *

After analysing cases that have been reused for different purposes, the following Chapter

Four will conclude with a general discussion of adaptive reuse of historic baths in

Britain, provide an outline of concrete approaches and propose a few potential

approaches.

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Chapter Four: An Outline of Approaches for the Adaptive Reuse

of Historic Baths in Britain

‘...when finally the plug has been pulled, the water has drained away, a new life

begins.’

Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths 79

1. Overall attitudes

The heritage of Britain’s historic baths is at risk. According to the statistics, Britain’s 80

stock of historic baths is decreasing every year. These buildings have significant

architectural value: the evolution of their construction can reveal the progress of

civilisation and technology in Britain. Preserving the baths through adaptive reuse can

be considered as a contribution to the conservation of the local community, which is

necessary in this continuously changing era.

Along with other public buildings, such as town halls and churches, baths are usually

located in the central area of working class neighbourhoods. In general, the former two

kinds of architecture usually require silence and solemnity, while baths aremainly built

for pleasure and socialisation. These characteristics allow baths to have the potential to

79 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 265. 80 Ibid, p. 277.

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serve as venues for various entertainments, not merely swimming. Maintenance is not

the only way to protect historic baths since, as described inGreat Lengths: ‘Architectural

or historical significance alone offers no guarantee that an historic pool will remain open

for swimming.’ 81

On the one hand,historic baths are distinct from modern swimming centres, as claimed

in the bookGreat Lengths, ‘A historic pool looks different. It sounds different. It smells

different. It feels different.’ Many residents, especially swimmers, have campaigned 82

hard to save their local historic pool, probably because they would like to retain their

memories of such a singular experience with the historic baths.

On the other hand, baths play multiple rolesmore than swimming pools. Dr IanGordon

and Simon Inglis observe that ‘For Britain’s aquatic sportsmen andwomen, indoor pools

are not merely places to swim or dive but places to watch events, to train and to

socialise.’ It can be speculated that users who have formed the habit of getting together 83

in an indoor baths would expect to have the same place to enjoy themselves gathering

together even though without aquatic activities.

As explained in Chapter One, a large number of Britons love historic buildings, through

which they can feel a kind of connection between their memories of the past and their

present life. In addition, by responding to local demands and integrating proper

81 Quoted in Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 14. 82 Quoted, ibid, p. 16. 83 Quoted, ibid.

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approaches of adaptive reuse, there are great opportunities for historic baths to be

redeveloped into new attractions, offering them a new life.

2. Concrete approaches

There are a number of similarities in the approaches that have been implemented in

those different cases listed in Chapter Three. These common factors can be tentatively

summarised as three approaches, which are labelled as ‘continuation’, ‘division’, and

‘combination’ for convenience in the following content.

a. ‘Continuation’

The ‘continuation’ approach means to continue the original space form of the baths that

is largespan and high for the swimming hall, and cubic for the entrance block. Most

historic indoor baths are, by nature, sophisticated complexes that are compatible with

many kinds of public activities, such as performances, exhibitions, shopping and parties.

Therefore, it is appropriate for public baths to be converted into other types of buildings

with different functions but similar usage of space. The entrance block of a baths can be

easily reused as a residential area or a business centre. As for the swimming hall, using

the ‘continuation’ approach it can be transformed to a museum, an art venue, a theatre,

a restaurant, a pub, a gym hall, a rehearsal studio, or even a training venue for extreme

sports such as rock climbing, parkour and skateboarding.

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The pool tank is a huge hole with an uneven floor, which is impossible to ignore. Most

designers of those cases analysed in Chapter Three chose to board it over for

convenience, leaving the former tank space for pipes or other facilities that are necessary

for a modern building. However, there are still a number of cases that canmaintain the

pool with a few changes. Whether the pool will be covered or not depends on the future

function of the baths. In the case of Liverpool’s Lister Drive Baths (Pic.43), one of its two

pools has been conserved and reused as fishery ponds by constructing concrete walls to

divide the original big pool.

In most cases of remodelling a historic baths hall, the changing rooms enclosing the pool

have been torn down to gain more space for creating a more open atmosphere, which

can be well seen in the spaces for socialisation such as the pubs (Pic.53, Pic.54, Pic.55 &

Pic.56) and the gymnasiums (Pic.36); or to save space for new circulation, which can be

seen in the Montpellier’s Baths and now the Playhouse Theatre (Pic.47).

The walk gallery above the changing rooms is usually worth conserving because

participants are willing to have a place to overlook the activities that are happening

down in the hall. In addition, a second level can increase the efficiency of space use. The

condition will be more favourable for a future theatre or a performance venue if there

are already amphitheatre seats surrounding the pool site, which can save the adaptation

budget.

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In general, there are very few openings in the walls of a swimming hall but usually, there

is a remarkable skylight in the roof. If there are windows in the walls, theymay probably

be important features on the elevations and also one of the main light sources for the

hall area, such as the windows in Lister Drive Baths (Pic.43 &Pic.45) and the series of

semicircle windows in Hillsborough Baths (Pic.53, Pic.54 & Pic.55). Therefore, the

former openings should be preserved even though they may be covered from the inside

to adapt to a new arrangement.

The original roof structure should be conserved asmuch as possible because it is usually

the most significant section. Different from era to era in shapes and materials, the roof

structure can reveal the aesthetic value of the baths and the technology development

back to the old days. The structured framework can be conserved alone even if the baths

is to be demolished. For example, a section of ironwork from the Greenman Street Baths

(Pic.80) has been preserved and relocated in a park on Wontner Close off Greenman

Street (Pic.81) since 1987, three years after the closure of Greenman Street Baths. From 84

the skeleton, it can be speculated that the baths used to be comprised of a big bathing

pool with a spectators gallery on each side. It is a way to commemorate the fabric of the

former baths, and meanwhile, add interesting characteristics into the local

neighbourhood. Even though only a skeleton is left, the feeling of the original space form

can still be strong.

84 Online source: London History Group, Greenman Street Baths (Tibberton Baths).

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Pic.78: The ironwork structure of Greenman Street Baths Pic.79: The location of the skeleton

‘Continuation’ may be the most economic approach because it does not require much

demolition. Under the almost same shed, in the almost same hall space, the continuation

of the new functions and old fabric of the baths can be inspiring and charming.

b. ‘Division’

Being the opposite approach to ‘continuation’, ‘division’ is to divide the original

largespan space into cubicle units, by adding constructions such as floors, columns and

beams. From the angle of space efficiency, ‘division’ may be better because the units are

expected to fill in the former extra space that is more than the needs of human scale.

Smaller units are suitable for residential and office uses, which are not challenging for

the front entrance. As for the swimming hall, reinforced concrete and steel can be used

to construct apartments, hotel rooms or relatively traditional offices to ensure the

independent privacy of each unit.

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In most cases that are suitable to use this approach, the pool has been covered because

the height difference of the tank floor and the ground floor is inconvenient to operate.

Additionally, boarding the tank can save the space below for modern facilities such as

gas pipes and electricity lines. Usually divided via wood or plastic boards, the changing

units and slipper baths should be torn down to release spaces for new constructions.

Whether the walking gallery should be preserved or not depends on the new design of

the arrangements. It can be extended as a new storey, with the original tiles being

conserved as the composition of the new floor, while it may be better demolished if it is

not on the same level with the newly built floor. The former way ismore difficult because

of the connection between the old structure and new structure is complicated.

The openings should be maintained as many as possible because a complex containing

numerous small units for humans to live or work requires abundant natural light and

fluent ventilation. Relevantly, the arrangement of the units should follow the pattern of

the original windows.

Usually, the most valuable section, the roof structure, is hard to make visible if being

divided. In the currently converted residential building onGrove Lane (Pic.60&Pic.61),

it is hard to recognise the historical appearance of Hammersmith Baths from the

interior. However, this unsatisfactory situation can be improved by the ‘combination’

approach in the following section.

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c. ‘Combination’

Usually utilised for historic swimming halls, ‘combination’ is the approach that

combines ‘continuation’ and ‘division’ together. In this approach, new constructions are

inserted into the former baths to divide the space into small units but not all, which can

improve the limitation of ‘division’ that is hardly able to conserve the historic roof

structure, and meanwhile, provide more hierarchies to the hall space than ‘continuation’.

This approach is favourably implemented in Ashton Old Baths and Penarth Public

Baths. In order to conserve the original features of the roof constructions, the top floor is

better to be used as communal space either in a business centre which can be seen in

Ashton Old Baths (Pic.74 & Pic.75) or in a residence such as the top floor of Penarth

Public Baths (Pic.63, Pic.64&Pic.65), on which the living room, dining room aswell as

kitchen are together sharing space under the marvellous ironwork arches.

In the case of AshtonOld Baths, the ‘combination’ is utilised through constructing a new

building within the historic baths. Its pool tank was demolished, but by this approach,

there would not be much difference if the new building had been constructed from the

tank floor. Similarly, its walk gallery can be easily preserved, because it will not have

much effect on the new construction. Actually, in AshtonOld Baths the walk galleries are

conserved, but neither were designed with new functions nor accessibility. In the case of

Penarth Public Baths, the ‘combination’ is similar with ‘division’, but the forms of units

are more diverse: cubicles are located on the ground floor and first floor; and an open

space is on the top floor.

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In modern society, the ideas on the spaces for living and working are changing from

relative independence and privacy to relative openness and community. It seems

difficult to satisfy themodern ideas on space arrangement by thoroughly using ‘division’.

However, private spaces which are difficult to generate through ‘continuation’, are still

necessary for a building nowadays. When adding new constructions into a swimming

hall, it is expected to create them in the light and partially transparent senses within a

solid complex, which can also help to maintain the original spacious atmosphere. In the

adaptive reuse of historic baths, ‘combination’ may provide more flexibility for the

original space to achieve an appropriate proportion of independence and community.

3. Potential approaches

Aside from the above approaches that are gathered from existing cases, there should be

potential approaches that can be implemented in future projects. The following

approaches are either learnt from the design of other types of buildings or speculated

from the connection between the space of baths and their certain functions.

a. Breaking the solid

That the outside environment should be concerned with the buildings that are

established within it, has become a common attitude among architects. It is not hard to

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realise thatmostmodern architecture is designedwith glazing at least for the walls of the

ground floor, which can help to link the inner space to the outer environment.

Almost every historic baths is a massively solid volume, forming its own indoor world

and lacking reactions with the outdoor environment. The connection and

communication between the indoor and outdoor spaces can be improved if the exterior

walls are reconstructed with ceiling windows or glass curtains partially or even

completely, but this must avoid the sections with historical significance.

b. Maintaining the ‘swimming water’

Although in many cases the floor of a swimming pool was raised to the ground floor

level, the tank is one of the icons of baths. In order to conserve the old fabric of the

baths, the tank can be covered by a thick glass slab on a randommeasure within the tank

height. Swimming water or materials such as the gel and colloid with the colour of

swimming water can be poured into the space beneath the glass slab. It is expected to

recall the feeling of stepping into a swimming pool when walking down from the stairs

along the pool sides. This approach can be seen in the two proposals for Haggerston

Baths in Appendix I (Pic.94 & Pic.99).

c. Reusing the uneven tank floor

Although in most cases the pool tank is covered, the uneven floor of a pool can be

suitable for special activities, such as skating, skateboarding, cycling, and parkour, which

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are all fashionable and popular sports among the youths, and may welcome an uneven

floor for their trick training.

d. Utilizing the changing cubicles

There are opportunities for those changing cubicles to be reused, such as for storage,

which can be helpful for an event venue to store equipment. The scene may be similar

with the reuse of the aisles in St Mary’s Church of Eton (Pic.78 & Pic.79).

Pic.80: St Mary’s Church of Eton Pic.81: The storage in St Mary’s Church of Eton

* * *

After concluding the attitudes and the outline of both existing and potential approaches

for the adaptive reuse of historic baths in Britain, the Appendix I following will

demonstrate the practical conclusions through the revitalization projects for Haggerston

Baths, by discussing its current proposals and generating two potential proposals.

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Appendix I: Discussions and Practices on Haggerston Baths

‘…an outstanding opportunity in a greatly improving location, close to the Regent’s

Canal, which continues to experience rapid change and investment…’

Haggerston Baths website homepage 85

1. Introduction of Haggerston Baths

a. Background

In Greater London, there are twentyfive baths listed as heritage buildings. A

preliminary investigation revealed that, amongst these listed historic public baths,

thirteen had continued to be used as leisure centres or sports centres following a process

of refurbishment, including four which had added spa facilities or been occupied by a

spa company; four had been occupied by colleges or communities and three by other

companies; four had been converted or partially converted to apartments. The future of

two baths, which are Haggerston Baths and Ladywell Baths, are uncertain at present.

Located on Whiston Road, Hackney, Haggerston Baths is situated at a distance of one

block from the south side of Regent’s Canal. Built during the Edwardian period in the

85 Online source: Haggerston Baths website homepage: www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk.

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Edwardian baroque style , Haggerston Baths was first opened on 25th June 1904 and 86

eventually closed in February 2000. It is a Grade II building, listed in 1988, owned by

Hackney Borough Council. In 2013, the Victorian Society registered the baths in itsTop 87

Ten Most Endangered Buildings 2013 list.

b. Environmental condition

Pic.82: The region schematic diagram

The location represents great potential for the further redevelopment of Haggerston

Baths. First of all, this site is easily accessed. Two overground stations, Haggerston and

Hoxton, are both located within a 500meter range. A 20minute walk towards the east

leads to Old Street Station and towards the west, to the City of London. Several bus stops

are nearby, providing access to various locations, including Liverpool Street and

Hackney Central.

86 Ian Gordon, ‘Great pools of splendour’, The Victorian, No.22, July 2006, p. 5. 87 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 126.

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Secondly, the foundation of commercial activities and population in this area are both

relatively stable. Hackney City Farm, Columbia Road FlowerMarket, Brick LaneMarket,

and Broadway Market, are all within walking distance of Haggerston Baths. Haggerston

Park, with its broad fields, and the Geffrye Museum with its attractive courtyard, are

common relaxation areas for residents living in the nearby City Mills residential and St

Mary’s Estate.

Thirdly, Regent’s Canal has become a focal point in Haggerston due to the growth of

creative industries along the riverbanks. There is a diversity of studios, art galleries, and

a popular boat club, which have all increased the vitality of Haggerston. Haggerston

Baths is fortuitously located in this energetic area.

c. Physical condition

Pic.83: Current three main sections

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Dating from the 1960s, the current layout of Haggerston Baths can be broadly divided 88

into three main sections: the main hall, the former laundry, and the front entrance

building.

In the hall, there is a main pool 25m × 10m in size and a learning pool 10m × 3.9m in

size. The floor to ceiling height is 6.1m from floor level to the eaves and 12.4m at the

highest point of the domed roof. Surrounding the main hall are a number of functional

rooms, including changing facilities, store rooms and toilets.

The former laundry, which formerly contained a 60stall wash house, was extended in

the northwest section of the site in 1961 . It occupies part of the basement, ground and 89

first floor. This section currently houses the original chainfed coal boilers and has

separate access on Swimmers Lane.

The front entrance building on Whiston Road occupies the basement, ground and two

upper floors, including a reception area, former offices and a caretakers’ apartment on

the top floor. There are two staircases located on both sides of the main entrance

providing access to each floor.

88 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 128. 89 Ibid.

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d. Architectural significance

Pic.84: The south / front facade Pic.85: The weathervane

Pic.86: The north facade

The authors of Great Lengths claim that “Haggerston’s pool hall remains an outstanding

example of early 20th century baths design” . Haggerston Baths was designed in 90

Edwardian baroque style by architect Alfred Cross during his midcareer period after 15

years in the baths business.

90 Quoted, ibid, 2009, p. 129.

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A conservation report commissioned by the London Borough of Hackney in 2005

highlights a number of areas that are of architectural significance, heritage or historical

interest, which should be conserved in any future redevelopment. These areas include

the north and south façades, the chainfed coal boilers (Pic.87), the main chimney and

the hall roof (Pic.88). In particular, the gilded weathervane on top of the cupola, along 91

with the two red brick and Portland stone facades, remain significant features in the

streetscape. 92

Pic.87: The chainfed coal boilers Pic.88: The current Main Hall

By means of the technique of boxing in the steel arches and panelling the ceiling in

plaster, the roof provides the hall with a brighter environment, with less echo and softer

natural light. Originally the two pools were surrounded by three lines of amphitheatre

style seats, which were replaced by a gallery walkway in 1964. The domed roof with

skylight must be fully conserved in the future adaptive reuse as mentioned above while

the swimming pool has more flexibility to be either preserved or partially changed.

91 London Borough of Hackney, Haggerston Baths, Hackney, Conservation Statement, 2005, p. 3840. 92 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, p. 126127.

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2. Discussions on present proposals

Hackney Council conducted a feasibility study and concluded its preferred option, which

benefits the community and includes the retention of the pool and the conversion of the

other parts of the building to a medical centre and various community facilities. The 93

main current ideas (Pic.89) include the pool, a GP surgery, creche, dance studio, gym,

cafe and a space for community groups. 94

Pic.89: The main present ideas

According to Hackney Council, it is estimated that it will cost around £25 million to

make the building safe and bring it back into public use, but the Council is currently

unable to prioritise due to the ongoing government budget cuts. Almost one year has 95

93 Ibid, p. 129. 94 Online source: Save Haggerston Pool website: http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/theplan/ 95 Online source: Hackney Council Newsroom, Public meeting on future of Haggerston Baths, 29/09/2015.

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past, this redevelopment project is situated at a standstill condition, which in certain

degrees can indicate that the economic efficiency of the main current ideas are not ideal.

Janet Smith highlights the fact in her book that ‘Hackney’s swimmers are hardened

campaigners. The nearby Edwardian baths at Haggerston closed in 2000, while a brand

new £7.5 million pool at Clissold Park ended up costing £32 million in 2001, only to be

closed for repairs after just 20 months in use.’ This reveals how much popularity 96

Haggerston Baths enjoys, but it does notmean that Haggerston Bathsmust be reused for

swimming. As analysed in Chapter Two, it may be more troublesome to upgrade a

historic baths building due to themuch highermodern standards of swimming facilities.

In terms of economic efficiency, there should be better choices for the revitalization of

Haggerston Baths other than an aquatic centre.

Moreover, although the Save Haggerston Pool group has been actively promoting its

conservation activities since 2014, looking east, York Hall Leisure Centre is a

twentyminute walk away, while looking north, about 1.5miles away stands Ironmonger

Row Baths. If Haggerston Baths remains mainly a swimming centre, it will replicate the

functions of these two nearby leisure centres, and thus result in a waste of resources. The

hall in Haggerston Baths must be preserved, but the pool itself has greater potential

flexibility for sustainable reuse.

The proposal for a medical centre is unnecessary, too. Within a 10minute walk from

Haggerston Baths to the east is London Fields Medical Centre, and to the west are

96 Janet Smith, Liquid Assets, 2005, p. 169.

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Whiston Road Surgery, Lawson Practice and Kingsland Surgery. The medical resources

in Haggerston are rich enough.

However, the proposals for a creche, cafe, dance studio, and a space for community

groups, can be favourably considered, regardless of the main future function of

Haggerston Baths, because these spaces will not occupy too much proportion of the

space, but are beneficial for the local community, improving the connection between the

baths and its local residents.

3. Practices on potential proposals

Based on the requirements of Hackney Council, the analysis outlined in the introduction

section of this appendix, together with the approaches for the adaptive reuse of historic

baths concluded in Chapter Four, two potential proposals will be practical for

Haggerston Baths. The first one is to reuse it as amuseum and central archive of British

baths and pools. The second one is to reuse it as a youth hostel. Both proposals conserve

the original building completely withmerely a few adjustments and attempts to integrate

the Council’s ideas.

a. Proposal I: Museum and Central Archive

As an island country, it is unfortunate for Britain that there is no museum for its many

aquatic assets, even though there are many private collectors who have accumulated

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much relevant material, such as drawings and photographs. ‘There are museums in 97

Britain for football, cricket, rugby union, tennis, golf, horse racing and rowing. Yet not

for aquatic sports.’ 98

If there is going to be established an aquatic museum, a historic baths building,

especially a listed one, will be an ideal site. As the capital and the most popular city in

Britain, London should take the responsibility of adapting one of its derelict baths to the

museum of aquatic assets in Britain. La Piscine Musée D’Art et L’Industrie (Pic.90), ‘a

working, living and breathing swimming museum’ , housed in former public baths at 99

Roubaix, France (Pic.91), has set an example, which not only holds exhibitions on

bathing and swimming, but also provides the chance for visitors to swim in a historic

pool and take an oldfashioned slipper or Turkish baths. 100

With many merits mentioned previously, the site of Haggerston Baths may represent a

perfect opportunity to establish amuseum and central archive to introduce the history of

British baths and swimming to the public.

Pic.90: La Piscine Musée D’Art et L’Industrie Pic.91: Historic Roubaix Public Baths, France

97 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 16. 98 Ibid, p. 277. 99 Ibid. 100 Ibid, p. 269.

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i. Challenges and constraints

The structural challenges and constraints for the exhibition function of a museum are

not great, because both a museum and a baths are public architecture, and the

arrangements for a museum exhibition are flexible enough to adapt to a similar

largespan space. It is not difficult to rearrange the pool hall for the requirements of a

museum exhibition space. Additionally, the section with the historic chainfed coal

boilers in the basement must be included in the main exhibition.

However, considering the volume of this building, two lifts must be added. A museum

and central archive should be also equipped with space for permanent storage, archive

display, reading, offices, and temporary exhibitions along with their storage. The space

on the east side of the main hall from basement to the first floor, the first and second

floors of the front entrance, and partial ground floor and the first floor of the former

laundry can be redivided and rearranged to serve those functions.

ii. Opportunities

There are opportunities to accommodate a cafe, a space for community groups, a

nursery, and two dance studios. The rest of the space in the basement can be converted

into two dance studios and two rooms for community groups. The west area on the

ground floor of the front entrance and a small section of the former laundry can be

reused as a cafe, with an independent entrance on Swimmers Lane. The northwest

section of the ground floor of the former laundry, including the plant room, can be

redeveloped as a nursery for infants and young children living in the nearby

neighbourhood.

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In order to acquire more lights for the pool hall, the glazedwindow above the dome can

be adjusted to a pitched angle. To provide a comfortable environment for the nursery

and cafe, more windows should be added onto the west elevation.

iii. Physical adaptation and intervention

Pic.92 broadly indicates the space allocation inside the museum, and Pic.93 shows

further details about the activities in each area. Indicated in Pic. 94, that the pool is

preserved but no longer used as a swimming pool. The water will be maintained at a

level of 0.5 meters and covered with a thick glass slab, allowing the pool to become a

lower level with its ‘original’ swimmingwater floor preserve intact.

Pic.92: Proposal I Diagram of space allocation

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Pic.93: Proposal I Section AA’

Pic.94: Proposal I Reuse of the hall

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b. Proposal II: Youth hostel

Adopted by Hackney Council in July 2015, the Development Management Local Plan

mentions a scheme about providing better homes. The plan is based on the Council’s

Core Strategy that ‘Hackney needs to deliver different housing types at varying levels of

size and affordability to meet people’s individual needs.’ 101

In this plan, the Council analyzes four main types (excluding mixtures) of housing and

concludes with their requirements and policies. Among these options, a youth hostel 102

may be the most suitable for this site, because twomain types of housing already exist in

this area. Across Swimmers Lane stands City Mills residential, which includes two high

quality apartments. Looking southeast, St Mary’s Estate, a largescale council estate,

surrounds Haggerston Baths. The other two types of housing, student housing and

hotels, can be mixed with more flexible usages, benefiting the community more and

better matching this newly energetic region.

i. Challenges and constraints

Converting from a largespan space to cubical rooms, there are a considerable number of

structural challenges and constraints involved in adapting the swimming hall to hostel

rooms. The dome roof and skylight should not be changed when adding individual

cubical rooms. Malmaison Hotel in Oxford (Pic. &Pic.) has set an excellent example of

reusing the space under a dome. Although the dome in the swimming hall is larger than

the one in Malmaison Hotel, the technique is worth studying: adding floors along both

101 Hackney Council, Development Management Local Plan, July 2015, p. 59. 102 Ibid, Chapter 5.

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sides of the hall, linking with gallery walkways, while leaving the light from the dome to

illuminate the hall, conserving the original bright atmosphere.

Pic.95 & Pic.96: Malmaison Hotel, Oxford

To improve the lighting and ventilation for rooms in the west section of the hall, the roof

between the main hall and the former laundry can be dismantled. Moreover, a void

space can be constructed between these two sections, allowing natural light and air to

come through.

The east section on the ground floor has very few openings, which are unacceptable even

for shortterm living. To solve the problem, this area can be used as a rehearsal space for

musicmajor students or music lovers; and a drawing studio for paintingmajor students

or art lovers.

The chainfed coal boilers in the basement must be preserved due to their listed status,

yet most of the basement space is arranged for common use. It is slightly difficult to

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highlight the boilers’ significance but treat them as decorations or background within a

common space. However, viewed from another angle, this is an opportunity to construct

this room with the three chainfed coal boilers to be a small gallery, introducing the

history of Haggerston Baths to the tenants.

The management for longterm and shortterm tenants is also a challenge for this

mixedfunctional hostel. A basic method is distinguishing tenants by zones. Following

this method, rooms in the main hall can mainly serve for longterm tenants, and rooms

in the front entrance and the first floor of the former laundry can mainly serve for

shortterm tenants. All tenants will share public facilities and common spaces.

ii. Opportunities

A quality youth hostel also needs common spaces, such as a communal hall, kitchen,

dining room, laundry and gym. The basement, without adequate brightness, can be used

to house the gym, laundry and kitchen. The area under the pool’s gallery walkway can be

used as communal space including a common dining area and two computer labs.

Considering the original baths’ aquatic functions, a smallsized spa and several sauna

cubicles can be also constructed in the basement for tenants. This will offer a unique

experience to tenants because other youth hostels rarely provide such services.

Located in a key area with high accessibility, there are opportunities for the youth hostel

to rent part of the ground floor along Whiston Road and Swimmers Lane in order to

achieve economic sustainability. Considering the needs of the residents in the hostel and

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the neighbourhood, a supermarket, a cafe and a shop for digital product repair may be

reasonable choices.

Meanwhile, in order to conform to the Council’s requirements of serving the community,

the northwest section of the original building can be converted into a relatively

independent multifunctional area with a small nursery, meeting rooms for community

groups and two dance studios.

iii. Physical adaptation and intervention

Pic.97 broadly indicates the space allocation inside the youth hostel, andPic.98 shows

further details about the activities in each area. Pic.99 specifically shows the

compatibility of the pool hall. The design for the pool floor can be similar to the outline

described in Proposal I.

Pic.97: Proposal II Diagram of space allocation

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Pic.98: Proposal II Section AA’

Pic.99: Proposal II The compatibility of the hall

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Appendix II: Events Chronology Related to Historic Baths of

Britain

The 2nd Century AD: The Roman Baths was developed in Bath, Britain. 103

1595: Swimming was introduced formally in England. 104

1679: In London small indoor baths, or bagnios as they were known, started

appearing. 105

1742: The first indoor bath specifically for swimming was opened in Leman

Street, Goodman’s Fields, London. 106

1816: Britain’s earliest known floating bath was launched on the River Mersey in

Liverpool. 107

1829: Britain’s first publicly funded indoor baths was opened at the Pierhead,

Liverpool. 108

1842: Britain’s first combined public baths and wash houses was opened in

Liverpool. 109

1845: The growing concerns for water safety made the provision of swimming

pools as necessary as baths and washing facilities. 110

1847: A new craze for hydrotherapy came to be promoted. 111

103 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 18. 104 Online source: British Library, Sport and Society: The Summer Olympics and Paralympics through the lens of social science, 2011, p. 3. 105 Janet Smith, Liquid Assets, 2005, p. 10. 106 Ibid. 107 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 63. 108 Ibid, p. 13. 109 Ibid, p. 25. 110 Ibid, p. 33. 111 Ibid, p. 34.

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1849: Green Street Baths, the first public baths in London, was opened in

Leicester Square, and only had bath washing facilities without a ‘plunge’ pool. 112

1850: Swimming drawers (for men) for the improvement of public indecency

were first recorded in certain London baths. 113

1870: The earliest ladiesonly baths were opened. 114

Pools and swimming came to become public baths’ main source of income. 115

1889: Swimming’s first recognised world record was achieved in Britain, at New

Islington Baths in Manchester. 116

1891: The first competitive swimming for ladies in a British pool, and indeed the

world, was recorded in Scotland at the Townhead Baths, Glasgow. 117

1907: Possibly for the first time that reinforced concrete was utilized at a British

baths, Hammersmith Baths in Lime Grove, by James Ernest Franck, taking the arched

theme further. 118

112 Ian Gordon, ‘Great pools of splendour’, The Victorian, July 2006, p. 4. 113 Dr Ian Gordon & Simon Inglis, Great Lengths, 2009, p. 41. 114 Ibid, p. 54. 115 Ibid, p. 41. 116 Ibid, p. 58. 117 Ibid. 118 Ibid, p. 114.

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Lost Lidos: http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/

AshtonunderLyne: http://www.ashtonunderlyne.com/

Heritage Lottery Fund:

https://www.hlf.org.uk/aboutus/newsfeatures/businessesreadydiveformers

wimmingbathsreopen

Baths and Wash Houses Historical Archive:

http://www.bathsandwashhouses.co.uk/

Baths in Time: http://www.bathintime.co.uk/

88

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2174775/Derelict-Victorian-baths-turned-dream-home-worth-1-2million-schoolboy-learned-swim-there.html



http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/

http://www.londonhistorygroup.com/?job_listing=greenman-street-baths-tibberton-baths



http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/

http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/tag/rolfe-street-baths/

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/tag/rolfe-street-baths/

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/

https://www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/news-features/businesses-ready-dive-former-swimming-baths-reopen



http://www.bathsandwashhouses.co.uk/

http://www.bathintime.co.uk/



.

Right Move Property:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/propertytorent/property32537229.html

Photographic Credits

Preface

Pic.1: http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/images/photos/ladywell_Baths_web.jpg

Pic.2:

http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/polopoly_fs/1.4096330.1433239702!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivat

ives/landscape_630/image.jpg

Chapter One

Pic.3:

http://mikestravelguide.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/12/DrawingofArenaCityArlesFrance494x

329.jpg

89

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-32537229.html


http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/images/photos/ladywell_Baths_web.jpg

http://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/images/photos/ladywell_Baths_web.jpg

http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/polopoly_fs/1.4096330.1433239702!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/image.jpg

http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/polopoly_fs/1.4096330.1433239702!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/image.jpg

http://mikestravelguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Drawing-of-Arena-City-Arles-France-494x329.jpg





.

Pic.4:

http://www.architecturalreview.com/pictures/2000x2000fit/7/3/8/3006738_Zaha_Hadid_Vitra_Fi

re_Station.jpg

Pic.5: http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/vitrafire/hadidint.jpg

Pic.6: https://mediacdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photos/02/64/f9/ed/filenameroyalexchange.jpg

Pic.7: http://www.mimoa.eu/images/26548_l.jpg

Pic.8:

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/328423/9613732/1291070556223/best+part+of+me+wuz+always

+u.jpg?token=fnTa6diH6YYmuX6vkca%2FaeDPp2o%3D

Pic.9: http://cdn.londonandpartners.com/asset/09fb98cc65cd024b02f0f7899678a426.jpg

Chapter Two

Pic.10:

http://www.laroutedulinge.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/07/Ba%C3%B1os_Romanos_Bath_Inglater

ra_20140812_DD_3941_HDRCopier1.jpg

Pic.11:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/d8MNFpxSKnw/U0MlE777zFI/AAAAAAAAuew/SH4nVR_e9Pk/s1600/Grou

nd+Plan+St+George's+Baths.jpg

Pic.12: http://lowrespicturecabinet.com.s3euwest1.amazonaws.com/51/main/6/212084.jpg

Pic.13: http://www.lookandlearn.com/historyimages/XJ100400

Pic.14:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Baths_and_washhouses%2C_Bilston%2C_ne

ar_Birmingham%3B_with_a_plan_Wellcome_L0014743.jpg

Pic.15:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0a

hUKEwjj59GGx6rMAhVLKcAKHWYkBi4QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oldprint.com%2Fcgibi

n%2Fcategory.cgi%3Fitem%3DL1111853630&psig=AFQjCNGpj6XSkvAbx64yH4RtZgg2ldOQ&ust=146

1700010755264

90

http://www.architectural-review.com/pictures/2000x2000fit/7/3/8/3006738_Zaha_Hadid_Vitra_Fire_Station.jpg



http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/vitrafire/hadidint.jpg

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/vitrafire/hadidint.jpg

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/64/f9/ed/filename-royal-exchange.jpg

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/64/f9/ed/filename-royal-exchange.jpg

http://www.mimoa.eu/images/26548_l.jpg


http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/328423/9613732/1291070556223/best+part+of+me+wuz+always+u.jpg?token=fnTa6diH6YYmuX6vkca%2FaeDPp2o%3D



http://cdn.londonandpartners.com/asset/09fb98cc65cd024b02f0f7899678a426.jpg

http://cdn.londonandpartners.com/asset/09fb98cc65cd024b02f0f7899678a426.jpg

http://www.laroutedulinge.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Ba%C3%B1os_Romanos_Bath_Inglaterra_2014-08-12_DD_39-41_HDR-Copier1.jpg



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d8MNFpxSKnw/U0MlE777zFI/AAAAAAAAuew/SH4nVR_e9Pk/s1600/Ground+Plan+St+George%27s+Baths.jpg



http://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/51/main/6/212084.jpg

http://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/51/main/6/212084.jpg

http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/XJ100400

http://www.lookandlearn.com/history-images/XJ100400

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Baths_and_wash-houses%2C_Bilston%2C_near_Birmingham%3B_with_a_plan_Wellcome_L0014743.jpg



https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjj59GGx6rMAhVLKcAKHWYkBi4QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.old-print.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fcategory.cgi%3Fitem%3DL1111853630&psig=AFQjCNGpj6-XSkvAbx64yH4RtZgg2l-dOQ&ust=1461700010755264







.

Pic.16:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Interior_of_Lambeth_baths._Wood_engravin

g_by_W._E._Hodgkin,_Wellcome_V0020040.jpg

Pic.17:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Panoramic_view_of_Brill's_swimming_bath

,_Brighton._Lithograp_Wellcome_V0012261.jpg

Pic.18: http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/siteimages/pic01/medium/00756.jpg

Pic.19: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYHyYtrWMAEAS_U.jpg

Pic.20:

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/waterpolomatchatthecrownbathskenningtonovaluk1890

engravingpictureid464755031

Pic.21: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2343451.jpg

Pic.22:

http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/t/121/femaleswimmersatthegwrmedicalfundsocietysmall

7569439.jpg

Pic.23: https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM018411.jpg

Pic.24:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/kByO6n8DNMA/UJ1J_QR3qjI/AAAAAAAABRU/8YmKSbQrWy4/s1600/swi

mming.jpg

Pic.25:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/pUE_NPuj_Yg/UJ1K_G5ncQI/AAAAAAAABRc/TLfzYXizZ1o/s1600/swimmi

ng2.jpg

Pic.26:

https://www.englishheritage.org.uk/remote/www.englishheritage.org.uk/content/publications/galle

ries/playedinlondon/PiLGalleryImage8.jpg

Pic.27: http://sw.co.uk/local/main/property9337.jpg

Pic.28:

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69589000/jpg/_69589230_victoria_baths_19061.jpg

91

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Interior_of_Lambeth_baths._Wood_engraving_by_W._E._Hodgkin,_Wellcome_V0020040.jpg



https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Panoramic_view_of_Brill%27s_swimming_bath,_Brighton._Lithograp_Wellcome_V0012261.jpg



http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/siteimages/pic01/medium/00756.jpg

http://landmark.lambeth.gov.uk/siteimages/pic01/medium/00756.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYHyYtrWMAEAS_U.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYHyYtrWMAEAS_U.jpg

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/water-polo-match-at-the-crown-baths-kennington-oval-uk-1890-engraving-picture-id464755031



http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2343451.jpg

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2343451.jpg

http://www.steampicturelibrary.com/t/121/female-swimmers-at-the-gwr-medical-fund-society-small-7569439.jpg



https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM018411.jpg

https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturethepast/jpgh_nottingham/NTGM018411.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kByO6n8DNMA/UJ1J_QR3qjI/AAAAAAAABRU/8YmKSbQrWy4/s1600/swimming.jpg



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pUE_NPuj_Yg/UJ1K_G5ncQI/AAAAAAAABRc/TLfzYXizZ1o/s1600/swimming2.jpg



https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/remote/www.english-heritage.org.uk/content/publications/galleries/played-in-london/PiL-Gallery-Image-8.jpg



http://sw.co.uk/local/main/property-9337.jpg

http://sw.co.uk/local/main/property-9337.jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69589000/jpg/_69589230_victoria_baths_1906-1.jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/69589000/jpg/_69589230_victoria_baths_1906-1.jpg



.

Pic.29:

http://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10164/Grove_Lane_Baths_insi

de.jpg

Pic.30: Capture from Alfred William Stephens Cross, Public Baths and Washhouses, 1906, p. 38.

Pic.31: http://thespaces.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/HaggerstonBathsopeningday.jpg

Pic.32: Capture from Great Lengths, p. 173.

Pic.33: http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/h/h/v/groundfloo_636.jpg

Pic.34: http://www.piranesiselection.com/upl/piranesi44medium.jpg

Pic.35: http://nowyouknowrome.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/0/3/28030601/9545370_orig.jpg

Chapter Three

Pic.36: http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/050711LKLifeFitnessDulwich.gif

Pic.37:

http://www.southport.gb.com/attachment.php?s=3970254d16b897272bc2c2435691c2c8&attachmentid

=50734&stc=1&d=1166414183

Pic.38: http://www.victorialeisure.com/wpcontent/uploads/slideShow/1/IMG_2.jpg

Pic.39: http://www.victorialeisure.com/wpcontent/uploads/slideShow/1/IMG_3.jpg

Pic.40:

http://services.eadt.co.uk/suffolk/content/unseenarchive/images/1965%20st%20matthews%20baths.jp

g

Pic.41:

http://uk.matrixfitness.com/images/images_showcases/private_clubs/TheGymIpswich/the_gym_ip

swich_1.jpg

Pic.42: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6dM6lUCMAAMrYA.jpg

Pic.43: https://asenseofplaceblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/listerdrive18.jpg?w=625&h=418

Pic.44: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/9212739437_9a06ab37f9_c.jpg

Pic.45: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9215701692_b22fdfe3f1_c.jpg

Pic.46: http://www.cheltplayhouse.org.uk/

92

http://images.birminghamhistory.co.uk/coppermine/albums/userpics/10164/Grove_Lane_Baths_inside.jpg



http://thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Haggerston-Baths-opening-day.jpg

http://thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Haggerston-Baths-opening-day.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/h/h/v/ground-floo_636.jpg

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/h/h/v/ground-floo_636.jpg

http://www.piranesiselection.com/upl/piranesi-44-medium.jpg

http://www.piranesiselection.com/upl/piranesi-44-medium.jpg

http://nowyouknowrome.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/0/3/28030601/9545370_orig.jpg

http://nowyouknowrome.weebly.com/uploads/2/8/0/3/28030601/9545370_orig.jpg

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/050711LKLifeFitnessDulwich.gif

http://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/050711LKLifeFitnessDulwich.gif

http://www.southport.gb.com/attachment.php?s=3970254d16b897272bc2c2435691c2c8&attachmentid=50734&stc=1&d=1166414183



http://www.victorialeisure.com/wp-content/uploads/slideShow/1/IMG_2.jpg




http://services.eadt.co.uk/suffolk/content/unseenarchive/images/1965%20st%20matthews%20baths.jpg



http://uk.matrixfitness.com/images/images_showcases/private_clubs/The-Gym-Ipswich/the_gym_ipswich_1.jpg



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6dM6lUCMAAMrYA.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6dM6lUCMAAMrYA.jpg

https://asenseofplaceblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/lister-drive18.jpg?w=625&h=418

https://asenseofplaceblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/lister-drive18.jpg?w=625&h=418

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/9212739437_9a06ab37f9_c.jpg

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3755/9212739437_9a06ab37f9_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9215701692_b22fdfe3f1_c.jpg

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/9215701692_b22fdfe3f1_c.jpg

http://www.cheltplayhouse.org.uk/

http://www.cheltplayhouse.org.uk/



.

Pic.47:

http://happymakingdesigns.com/storage/Playhouse%202.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1

379061904789

Pic.48: http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/08/TheSwimmingPool.jpg

Pic.49: http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/04/53/3045304_15be6e19.jpg

Pic.50:

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/generalviewofaboxingmatchatyorkhallhostschampionsh

ipboxingpictureid493091304

Pic.51: http://www.myeastlondon.co.uk/images/uploads/user31_York_Hall.jpg

Pic.52: https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturesheffield/jpgh_sheffield/t00412.jpg

Pic.53:

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_bar02.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx

=50&cropy=50&hash=CDE0DCD99D602A6F50B20301ADEC717A53CD9F66

Pic.54:

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_bar01.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx

=50&cropy=50&hash=BD103B902C2678EE8C7FCE55E81D251F62DCB66D

Pic.55:

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_dining.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx

=50&cropy=50&hash=8C9C67BBEE60F143EBD33B4F59DCB4B25730FD08

Pic.56: https://mediacdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photos/07/2b/5a/4c/thesirtitussalt.jpg

Pic.57:

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/2409/2409_dining01.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cr

opx=50&cropy=50&hash=8A497C77DBCDBB920C2D70A36D398F09D8F1AD44

Pic.58: http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/07/HistoricHandsworthGroveLane.jpg

Pic.59: http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2012/07/LimeGroveBaths.jpg

Pic.60 & Pic.61: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/propertytorent/property32537229.html

Pic.62:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article21747751417F3DA000005DC540_634x418.jpg

93




http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/08/The-Swimming-Pool.jpg

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/08/The-Swimming-Pool.jpg

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/04/53/3045304_15be6e19.jpg

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/04/53/3045304_15be6e19.jpg

http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/general-view-of-a-boxing-match-at-york-hall-hosts-championship-boxing-picture-id493091304



http://www.myeastlondon.co.uk/images/uploads/user31_York_Hall.jpg

http://www.myeastlondon.co.uk/images/uploads/user31_York_Hall.jpg

https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturesheffield/jpgh_sheffield/t00412.jpg

https://www.hpacde.org.uk/picturesheffield/jpgh_sheffield/t00412.jpg

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_bar02.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx=50&cropy=50&hash=CDE0DCD99D602A6F50B20301ADEC717A53CD9F66



https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_bar01.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx=50&cropy=50&hash=BD103B902C2678EE8C7FCE55E81D251F62DCB66D



https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/5261/5261_dining.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx=50&cropy=50&hash=8C9C67BBEE60F143EBD33B4F59DCB4B25730FD08



https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/2b/5a/4c/the-sir-titus-salt.jpg

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/2b/5a/4c/the-sir-titus-salt.jpg

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/~/media/images/pubs/2409/2409_dining01.jpg?w=855&crop=1&cropx=50&cropy=50&hash=8A497C77DBCDBB920C2D70A36D398F09D8F1AD44



http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/07/Historic-Handsworth-Grove-Lane.jpg

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2013/07/Historic-Handsworth-Grove-Lane.jpg

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2012/07/Lime-Grove-Baths.jpg

http://www.lostlidos.co.uk/files/2012/07/Lime-Grove-Baths.jpg



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417F3DA000005DC-540_634x418.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417F3DA000005DC-540_634x418.jpg



.


Pic.64:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article21747751417EC21000005DC503_634x419.jpg

Pic.65:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article21747751417E854000005DC529_634x405.jpg

Pic.66:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article21747751417ED69000005DC845_634x405.jpg

Pic.67:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article21747751417F333000005DC130_634x422.jpg

Pic.68 & Pic.69: Capture from Great Lengths, p. 268.

Pic.70:

http://www.royalleamingtonspa.co.uk/identitycms/wpcontent/uploads/2014/08/lubrary.png


Pic.72: http://www.ashtonunderlyne.com/images/aul184.jpg

Pic.73: http://www.ashtonunderlyne.com/images/aul184b.jpg

Pic.74 & Pic.75:

http://www.hhsmith.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/10/AshtonOldBathsComplete.pdf

Pic.76: http://www.mimoa.eu/images/12138_l.jpg

Pic.77: http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/02/34/06/2340636_2eadad98.jpg

Chapter Four

Pic.78: http://www.londonhistorygroup.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/03/bath2.jpg

Pic.79: Capture from Google Map,

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/1+Wontner+Cl,+London+N1+8TY/@51.5395584,0.096668,119

m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48761b61bc9c035b:0xb08cd5e03b6fcf47!8m2!3d51.5395576!4d0.

0961208?hl=en

94

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417EC21000005DC-503_634x419.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417EC21000005DC-503_634x419.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417E854000005DC-529_634x405.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417E854000005DC-529_634x405.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417ED69000005DC-845_634x405.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417ED69000005DC-845_634x405.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417F333000005DC-130_634x422.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/17/article-2174775-1417F333000005DC-130_634x422.jpg

http://www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk/identity-cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lubrary.png

http://www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk/identity-cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lubrary.png

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/images/aul184.jpg

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/images/aul184.jpg

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/images/aul184b.jpg

http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/images/aul184b.jpg





http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/02/34/06/2340636_2eadad98.jpg

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/02/34/06/2340636_2eadad98.jpg

http://www.londonhistorygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bath2.jpg

http://www.londonhistorygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bath2.jpg

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/1+Wontner+Cl,+London+N1+8TY/@51.5395584,-0.096668,119m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48761b61bc9c035b:0xb08cd5e03b6fcf47!8m2!3d51.5395576!4d-0.0961208?hl=en






.

Pic.80:

https://encryptedtbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQs0mmPITnC9qrwRlxLK0weSyIBODNPf

hbZxkP81_K9T1ccDi1

Pic.81:

https://encryptedtbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSA2zEwCoDTcBUiEYNbVbnF27lJ70qGXson

XcIONpmZZIY6ahNXkO8oZFw

Appendix I

Pic.82: http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/sitemap120011.jpg

Pic.83: http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/05/Promap.png

Pic.84:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/jAYHxuZhFRE/VfvWeC3CC_I/AAAAAAAADuk/0ZiSnQtglU0/s1600/281.jpg

Pic.85 & Pic.86: http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/photogallery/#

Pic.87: http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2015/04/42.jpg

Pic.88:

https://www.englishheritage.org.uk/remote/www.englishheritage.org.uk/content/publications/galle

ries/playedinlondon/PiLGalleryImage8.jpg

Pic.89: http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/04/plan_001.jpg

Pic.90: http://birp.tourinsoft.com/upload/MEDIA_54f3fc7803d646cf83d29ec47b86458a.jpg

Pic.91: http://www.histoireentreprises.fr/wpcontent/uploads/2011/05/4_piscine_albert_baert.jpg

Pic.92: Illustrated by the author.



Pic.95: Taken by the author.

Pic.96: http://www.plasticsurgeon.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/09/malmaisonhotel.jpeg




95

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQs0mmPITnC9qrwRlxLK0weSyIBODNPfhbZxkP81_K9T1ccDi1



https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSA2zEwCoDTcBUiEYNbVbnF27lJ70qGXsonXcIONpmZZIY6ahNXkO8oZFw



http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sitemap-1200-11.jpg

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/sitemap-1200-11.jpg

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Promap.png

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Promap.png

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jAYHxuZhFRE/VfvWeC3CC_I/AAAAAAAADuk/0ZiSnQtglU0/s1600/281.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jAYHxuZhFRE/VfvWeC3CC_I/AAAAAAAADuk/0ZiSnQtglU0/s1600/281.jpg

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/photo-gallery/#

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/photo-gallery/#

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/42.jpg

http://www.haggerstonbaths.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/42.jpg




http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plan_001.jpg

http://www.savehaggerstonpool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plan_001.jpg

http://birp.tourinsoft.com/upload/MEDIA_54f3fc78-03d6-46cf-83d2-9ec47b86458a.jpg

http://birp.tourinsoft.com/upload/MEDIA_54f3fc78-03d6-46cf-83d2-9ec47b86458a.jpg

http://www.histoire-entreprises.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/4_piscine_albert_baert.jpg

http://www.histoire-entreprises.fr/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/4_piscine_albert_baert.jpg

http://www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/malmaison-hotel.jpeg

http://www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/malmaison-hotel.jpeg



.

Acknowledgements

This thesis could not have been written without the help of many people. I am indebted

both to my longstanding professors and guest lecturers, who have so generously inspired

and assisted me.

In particular, I would like to appreciatemy advisor Tanis Hinchcliffe for guidingme and

assisting me with the proofreading; and the writing tutor Ben East for helping to

improve my English writing skills.

A number of faculty members, historian Neil Bingham, architect Richard Hill, architect

Malcolm Fryer, professor Mosette Broderick, graduate programme coordinator Kate

Stein, and counselor Maisie Chaffin have also generously offered either encouragement

or relevant information tome. I should particularly like to thank professor JonRitter for

contacting me and admitting me to join this programme of M.A. in Historical and

Sustainable Architecture.

Finally, a very big thank you to my classmates Sehbin Mcelwain and Rachel Robinson,

who shared the cases on adaptive reuse of historic baths they have learnt with me.

Yunjie Ni

10th May 2016

96

thesis-final

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