Victoria Baths

A real architectural gem, this Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming pool and Turkish Baths has serious kerb appeal, though to be honest it’s not in the greatest of surroundings — demolition and urbanisation over the years has seen to that.
The repair and restoration of the building, inside and out, is still a work in progress but there are lots of stunning original features throughout, not to mention its layout of corridors and random doorways means you uncover its character bit-​by-​bit.
To aid the on-​going fund raising, the Baths have regular events held within the walls — one of the biggest in recent years is Indy Man Beer Con (
) which utilises much of the space brilliantly (where else can you sup a large range of beers whilst sat in large, empty swimming pools?).
For the first time this year I also went to The Vintage Home Show which saw the building crammed full of retro furniture, home ware and clothing.
They regularly hold ‘Getting to Know VB’ tours and participate in heritage open days, so check out their website for upcoming events, it’s a beautiful place and needs every penny to bring it back to its full splendour.

I saw a fabulous production of Romeo and Juliet here last week, but it’s sold out so I probably shouldn’t go on about that!
This is a really beautiful place to visit. I wish I’d seen more of it as the audience was taken through 3 huge rooms but there was obviously lots more to see if you went on a guided tour. There’s beautiful stained glass everywhere and decorative tiling with little fish, etc. I like the feeling of space and light from the very high up glass ceilings. The pool was filled with water (as part of the performance) when I was there and it would definitely beat my local council pool for charm and ambience.
Another plus, a strawberry rekorderlig was only £3.50 and 60p for some roasted nuts. I could cheerfully spend more time here, whether it’s a tour or a repeat performance.

Victoria Baths has a rich history and a wonderful sense of longevity about it.
The building is stunning, in that classic Edwardian style, beautiful woodwork, tiling and stonework.
It is under heavy restoration and isn’t open to the public at the moment, but is available to hire for various functions and photography expeditions, and in the coming months is playing host to HOME Theatre Company’s Romeo & Juliet.
It seems to be slightly poorly organised, but I imagine they’ve got alot on, and are taking care of a very important part of Manchester’s heritage.
If you get a chance to take a peek inside — do — especially if you’re an artist of any sort.

Victoria Baths is a very impressive place. It is sadly a shadow of its former self but the place is currently being lovingly restored by a team of hard working and dedicated volunteers and is well worth a visit if you like Victorian architecture (although I’m sure the historians out there would tell me that the fact it was built in 1906 means it isn’t strictly Victorian). We went on the guided tour which cost £3.50 and lasted an hour. The tour was very informative and included a lot of interesting information about the baths history and the community it served for several decades. There was also an art and crafts fair being held during our visit which was good to have a look around. It’s also worth knowing that the baths hold one off events such as plays, choir shows and Vintage markets. I love the fact that the volunteers care so much about the place and want to use it in the best way possible. We are so lucky to have a gem like this in Manchester. Please go and have a look around and support it, if you haven’t already.

Victorian architecture is from that era where everything was properly made, Not that I’m nostalgic for a yesteryear I never knew but any Victorian site I wander around shows the hallmarks of a job well done.
I’ve visited Victoria Baths a number of times now and although the baths have long shut down, they still offer regular guided tours of the place — plus their one off events are really popular and are fitting for such a grand venue. We’ve been before for antiques fairs, classic furniture showcases, vintage fairs and on two occasions the Indy Man Beer Con (run by the guys behind Common, The Beagle and Port St Beer House and on every October)
To enter Victoria Baths is to step foot into a labyrinth of a place, especially when you’re at a beer drinking event. But this is what makes it unique in the feel that you’re at some sort of house party, wandering from cavernous room to cavernous room, all offering something unique and giving you the opportunity to bump into people you haven’t seen in ages.
I haven’t myself been on the guided tour but my mum has been twice and she’s pretty fussy when it comes to places getting it right so I’d say that’s highly recommended.
The only real shame with Victoria Baths is that it’s so randomly now in the middle of a Longsight housing estate, a group of houses so devoid of architectural merit that the Victoria Baths designers are likely turning over in their graves.
Still… silver linings and all that mean that if you’re in the area to visit Victoria Baths, you can check out nearby Mughli for great Indian food any time of the day.

What a superb piece of the Victorian era. I visited the Baths on a couple of occasion, one was the Vintage fair when you can actually have a guided visit of the Baths as well and the other was for the Independent Manchester Beer Convention (IMBC). Got to say these guys have made a really good use of the space and showed what can be done with these otherwise unused heritage.

Situated on Hathersage Road between the imposing United Utilities building and opposite samey streets of run-​down terraces (one of which I used to live in), is the glorious Victoria Baths. Although I enjoy the luxuries of the modern day and wouldn’t much fancy squeezing myself into a corset every day, if I could travel back in time I think I’d spend a while with the Victorians and go for a swim before relaxing at the Turkish Baths here.
You may remember Victoria Baths from the BBC’s Restoration series. However, the restoration hasn’t quite gone to plan. So far the beautiful stained glass windows, a glass block pavement and the Turkish Baths suite have been restored, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I seem to remember from the tour I went on about 4 years ago that they wanted all the work to be complete by 2010, but due to problems with funding some of the work has been put on hold.
I’d definitely recommend one of their Sunday tours. They are £2 for adults and free for children. It’s a good activity for you students to do with the visiting parentals before they take you for a roast and to Asda. The guides are very informative and are able to any questions you may have. There are plenty of opportunities for arty photos. From March to October they are also hosting a range of events such as vintage fairs, family architecture workshops and circus skills sessions — for further details see the website.
I’m looking forward to visiting again within the next year to see how the project is progressing.

This opened way back in 1906 when most homes did not have bathing facilitys. There were first class baths which were for rich males to use and normal sized baths for normal familys to use. In 2003 they won 3.5 million for restoration work and now it makes a really nice place to visit with a watery theme throughtout the building such as fish on the mosaics.