Author: admin

Council fail to submit HLF bid

We learnt earlier this week that the Council’s bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for Phase 1 of restoration work to the building will not be put forward as they have decided that they will not be able to put £3million match-funding towards the £8million bid.  The full text of their letter to us is below.  We will be issuing a press release shortly.

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch with your comments.  We know that there has been a huge amount of support for this bid and hundreds of people have been involved in the consultation exercise.  We will be working hard to make sure that your views are heard.

Letter from Council re. HLF bid - 11/12/12

Gangsters

Over the years loads of people have been inspired enough by the architecture of Moseley Road Baths to use it as the backdrop to televised drama.  We are aware of a lovely film about an elderly couple reliving their courtship called ‘The Pool’, a BBC adaptation of DH Lawrence’s ‘The Rainbow’ from the 1980s and an episode of Dalziel and Pascoe, that sees Norman Wisdom collapse in the Slipper Baths.

This clip from 1976 is from ‘Gangsters’ which is ‘set in the multi-cultural criminal community of Birmingham’.  Ah, even our criminal underworld is multi-cultural.  I can say categorically that the staff at Moseley Road Baths would never have allowed someone with such a dodgy walk to go onto the poolside, never mind allow them into the cubicles with a sword…  Watch from 4:33.

and then look out for the very powerful broom from 1:30.

We have a winner!

As part of the Moseley Road Baths restoration funding bid research Birmingham Conservation Trust offered a £25 M&S voucher in a prize draw for one lucky person picked at random who completed the survey about the Baths. The winner of the prize draw is P Woodall from Halesowen, but the Trust would like to thank every one of the 200 people who took the time to share their views and ideas with them through the survey.

Have you been involved in a MRB art project?

Moseley Road Baths has always been a real inspiration to people doing creative, exciting things. A couple of weeks ago editorialgirl took a tour of the building and took this wonderful selection of photos, which complement her previous collection from 2009’s Flickrmeet for local photographers which we featured on here at the time.

We’re wanting to hear from others who have been involved in arts events at the Baths:

Have you ever organised an art event at Moseley Road Baths? Have you ever taken part in one, or just attended? If so, then The Friends of Moseley Road Baths would love to hear from you. As part of our Pool of Memories History Project we’re researching all aspects of the building’s 105-year history. So if it was an art show, a video shoot, fashion show, play, exhibition, TV appearance, or anything else then we’d love to hear from you. Maybe you were at Immerse, Swimming Without Water, saw Stan’s Cafe’s show, or maybe you have a copy of the Gangsters episode which included the baths, or the Dalzeil and Pascoe show that featured Norman Wisdom! If you think you might be able to help, memories or memorabilia (posters, tickets etc), then do get in touch at memories@friendsofmrb.co.uk.

Astounding response to Heritage Consultation!

We have seen an overwhelmingly positive response to the consultation work that Birmingham Conservation Trust have been doing as part of the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for restoration and heritage projects at Moseley Road Baths.  There is a great write up on their blog.

Baths Questionnaire

Lots of you have been completing questionnaires on your ideas for the building (these can be found at the Baths and many local community venues), there was lots of interest at the Eid Mela a few weeks back, 133 people took a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour last weekend, every single department at Joseph Chamberlain College has expressed an interest in using the Baths with students, plus this week we are meeting with local schools to discuss their vision for activities at the Baths. Phew!

I was lucky enough to meet with Suzanne Carter, part of the team from Birmingham Conservation Trust conducting the consultation, and representatives from local arts organisations. We took a tour around the building, delving into nooks and crannies. It’s so inspiring and affirming to see people getting visibly excited by the possibilities in the space.

We spoke about how the individual cubicles for the slipper baths could be used creatively, how the archive from the Pool of Memories could be used as inspiration, and we got very excited talking about how everything from the smallest detail of the tiles and marble to the huge expanse of the Gala Pool could be employed for photography, film, projection, dance and drama.

It’s clear to me that we have a really wonderful opportunity to combine the heritage and beauty of this inspiring building with the creativity and talents of local people.  Let’s push to make sure that we can make these things happen!

Timetable now online

We have just posted up a new page with the most recent timetable for the Baths. Please note that this is correct as of today’s date but it is subject to change and we urge you to contact the pool directly on 0121 464 0150 to check for any changes. Timetables are also available from the pool along with details on how to register for a Passport to Leisure card if you qualify for cheaper swims, and direct debit options if you are a regular user of the pool.

MRB swim timetable

‘Behind the Scenes’ at Moseley Road Baths!

This Sunday, 2-6pm there is a rare opportunity to delve behind the scenes of the Grade II* listed building to see how the pool is run and to see bits of the building not open to the public. This is as part of a consultation exercise looking into ideas for a restoration bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. No need to book – just turn up!

MRB-event-16-September

Important survey on Heritage projects at MRB

The full restoration of Moseley Road Baths will cost millions, which the Council does not have. A phased approach has been recommended and the first phase involves bidding for Heritage Lottery funding. The proposed scheme will tackle the external repairs of the building, structural problems and will keep pool 2 open for swimming.

Birmingham Conservation Trust have been commissioned by Birmingham City Council to find out what Heritage activities the local community would like to see taking place in the building during this first phase of restoration (up to 2018).

To help swimmers and residents make their decisions on the building, there will be an event at the Baths on 16th September, 2-6pm, which includes tours, displays, family activities and of course opportunity to complete the survey.  You can also get copies of the survey at community venues around the area, including Balsall Heath Library.  If you complete the survey you will be added into a draw to win a £25 voucher for Marks and Spencer or HMV.

MRB-event-16-September