Category: Building

Abandoned

The Guardian put out a request for readers’ photos on the theme ‘derelict’ last week. The result was a collection of some of the most heartbreaking pictures of buildings which are a shadow of their former glory.

Amongst the pictures was a photo from Emma Jones (editorialgirl) of the Gala Pool at Moseley Road Baths which you can view on the Guardian’s site.  The article incorrectly describes the swimming pool as abandoned (there is another fully functioning pool on site), but it’s not difficult to see why they drew that conclusion.  I’m not sure how I feel about it: the pool is absolutely gorgeous, even in its present state, and I think that the more publicity the building has the better, but it’s absolutely shameful that such a building remains in the ownership of Birmingham City Council in such a state.  I feel embarrassed that my local pool should so frequently be on ‘most endangered’ and ‘most neglected’ lists, but it seems that our local politicians share no such concern.  Their silence over the past few months has been deafening.

The current state of play is that we have been presented with some three year old figures for the full refurbishment of the Gala Pool (estimated cost, £9m), but it has been made clear that this possible work is tied in with the future of Sparkhill Baths, which will be rebuilt on the current site.  Whilst that is decided Moseley Road Baths is in a continuing state of decline, with urgent work required to make the building watertight.  We took the volunteers from our Pool of Memories Project around the building a few weeks ago (more on that later!), and we were all shocked at just how bad the first floor flat is looking.

So, if you share our despair, think about dropping some of the local councillors a line and asking them what they plan to do in the immediate future to preserve Moseley Road Baths.

Martin.Mullaney@birmingham.gov.uk – Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture

Sparkbrook Councillors
Salma.Yaqoob@birmingham.gov.uk
Mohammed.Ishtiaq@birmingham.gov.uk
Shokat.Ali@birmingham.gov.uk

Better still, consider attending one of their Advice Surgeries.  Let us know how you get on!

Another view of Moseley Road Baths

We’re getting more and more interest in Moseley Road Baths from people who have been inspired by the building to do interesting and creative stuff. Alex Gamela came along to our Memories and Memorabilia Day last year and gathered a fair bit of footage and photography. He’s used it to create a Flash website which gives a really lovely view of the building, as well as providing lots of background information on the history of the baths. Have a look at the site here – but remember that you will need Flash installed.  Enjoy!

Mini history lessons

I’ve just come from a stall in Balsall Heath Library where we spent about half an hour talking with a group of young girls (amongst others) about Moseley Road Baths. To me, that chat really illustrated the importance of our Pool of Memories project.

Almost all of the girls attend Heath Mount Primary School, one of the schools still able to swim at the pool regularly. It’s clear that they love the building, and they all spoke animatedly about it. They were also all curious – about where the stairs lead to, about why the Gala Pool is closed, and why people used to have baths there.

We looked through the pictures in the excellent ‘Great Lengths’ book at pools around the country, and the conversation veered from pools in London and Sharm-el-Sheik to the Victorians and the Second World War.

The fact is that Moseley Road Baths gets people excited. It may be its beauty, it may be a particular memory, or it may be just one of the many stories of events that have happened within its walls. Today was one of those days when I feel immensely proud of this gem that sits on my doorstep, and excited by the curiosity that people of all ages have about the building.  If that’s not what ‘civic pride’ is about I don’t know what is…

No water, but going swimmingly

We’re really pleased to share the news that the Swimming Without Water exhibition will be going ahead, starting next week.

The collective of artists will be using the currently unused Gala Pool at Moseley Road Baths to display their artwork.  (Apologies, we’ve just found out that it’s actually going to be in the area directly outside the Gala Pool!) Their aim is to bring together their contemporary artwork with the space and the audience to create a unique experience.

‘The artists, Debby Akam, Flora Gare and Tim Skinner, are working to bind their works with this glorious historic building, to re-enliven it; to repopulate it through an engagement with the building and the audience (swimmers and non-swimmers from Moseley Road and beyond) through the medium of art.’

The exhibition begins on 18th February and will run until 15th March.  All are welcome – a great chance to experience some interesting new art as well as step through the doors of Moseley Road Bath’s much-loved Gala Pool after years of closure.

Let us know your thoughts!

United against PFI scheme

At the Friends of Moseley Road Baths meeting with Cllr Mullaney on 21st January we discussed options for funding swimming provision in Hall Green Constituency.  Three options have been put on the table for the urgent work required to ensure that Sparkhill has swimming facilities.  Two of these involve building new swimming facilities on the current site, with costs estimated at £10m and £13m respectively.  A third involves a PFI pool at Moseley School as part of their new sports and leisure facilities which has been costed at £3m.

The big-sell on this is that the less Council money spent on Sparkhill the more money will be available to re-open Moseley Road Bath’s Gala Pool.

We welcome plans to re-open Moseley Road Baths’ Gala Pool and fully support the Friends of Sparkhill Baths’ calls to ensure that swimming facilities are provided in Sparkhill as soon as possible.  However, we are fully behind the Friends of Sparkhill Baths in their opposition to the PFI model for our public swimming facilities.  We also agree that Sparkhill Pool should remain on its current site, whether that means utilising the facade of the existing pool or rebuilding on the Stratford Road site.

You can read more about the plans and politics around it on The Stirrer website – here and here.  In the meantime we are urging Cllr Mullaney and council officers to ensure that consultation and decisions around the future of swimming provision at both Sparkhill and Moseley Road Baths are transparent and accountable.  Our local pools are in such a dire state because of years of short-term planning, lack of proper investment and politicking.  Let’s ensure that good quality provision, accessibility and the needs of the immediate community are put at the heart of new plans.

There will be a meeting at 6.45pm on Wednesday 3rd February at Sparkhill Social and Cultural Centre on Stratford Rd, next to the swimming baths for all those interested in the plans.  Cllr Mullaney has decided not to attend the meeting, but it is hoped that he will reverse this decision and use the opportunity to speak directly with the public on this issue.

NB. We have since learnt that Cllr Mullaney WILL be attending this meeting.

Heritage Lottery Funding success!!

We are extremely excited to announce that The Friends of Moseley Road Baths has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund Your Heritage grant of almost £48,000 to undertake a three-year project researching the history of the Edwardian Grade II* Listed Moseley Road swimming baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.

Pool of Memories is an Oral History project incorporating several interlinked elements, including production of a book, DVD and accompanying teaching resource pack, website, exhibition and a ‘Theatre in Education’ scheme. The project will involve extensive input from local schools and community groups.

Commentating on the award, Pool of Memories Project Co-ordinator Jen Austin said: “We are delighted to have secured this substantial Heritage Lottery Fund grant which will enable us to document the history of Moseley Road Baths and record the stories and reminiscences of those who have swum, socialised, washed or worked there.

“For more than a century, Moseley Road Baths has been a hub of the community, providing swimming and bathing facilities for generations of local people. The Pool of Memories project will collate and preserve this history, providing a detailed picture and valuable archive of this nationally important building and its role in Birmingham’s history.”

Explaining the importance of the award, Anne Jenkins, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands said: “We are delighted to be able to support this project which will involve over 2,000 young people and bring them a multitude of educational benefits and skills whilst they explore the past of these well-loved local baths.”

An event to officially launch the Pool of Memories project will be held in February, from which point members of the public will be invited to contribute to the project.

For further information about the Pool of Memories project contact Jen Austin on 0777 609 5885 or e-mail us on the usual address.

Rescheduled meeting with Cllr Mullaney

REMINDER:

The postponed meeting with Cllr Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Culture will be going ahead this Thursday, 21st January at 7:30pm at Anderton Park School Children’s Centre.

For background on why we’re anxious to speak with him at this point in our campaign please see our previous blogpost: Constituency Financial Woes?

Remember to contact the group if there are any specific issues that you would like us to raise.  Thanks to John and Mark for your comments so far – we’ll be taking them forward to the meeting.

Played in Birmingham lecture

We’re very lucky as a group to be able to draw on the expertise of one of our group members, Steve Beauchampé.  He and Simon Inglis, who many of you will remember from his excellent presentation at our ‘Memories and Memorabilia Day‘ have written extensively about our local sporting heritage.  Moseley Road Baths features in two of the wonderfully detailed and illustrated publications from the ‘Played in Britain’ series.  ‘Played in Birmingham‘ explores Birmingham’s sporting heritage, whilst ‘Great Lengths‘ focuses on the development of swimming baths in Britain.

We are very excited to announce that they have both been invited to deliver a lecture at the prestigious Barber Institute this March.  Full details are below – please contact the Barber Institute directly for all enquiries.

Birmingham is a city founded upon hard work, enterprise and civic pride, characteristics that have also helped to shape its sporting map. This richly illustrated lecture focuses on Birmingham’s historic sporting landscapes – from stadiums to swimming baths, parks to pavilions, golf clubs to billiard halls – and reveals little known aspects of a heritage that has touched the lives of millions of Brummies, whether inclined towards sport or not.

Simon Inglis is an architectural historian and editor of the English Heritage series Played in Britain. He is the co-author with Steve Beauchampé of Played in Birmingham, the fifth book in the series, and has also written a history of Villa Park. Steve Beauchampé is an expert on Birmingham’s sporting architecture and heritage and is currently writing a history of the Grade II* listed Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath.

All lectures are held at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and begin at 7.30pm. Lectures are preceded at 6pm by a finger buffet, including a choice of wine, soft drink or coffee, and a private view of the Barber Institute galleries. Admission is by ticket only.

Lecture and buffet: £15 per ticket or £55 for the series. Lecture only: £7.50 or £27.50 for the series.

To book, please contact the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TS. 0121 414 7333 www.barber.org.uk
Payment by credit or debit card; cheques are payable to the University of Birmingham.