THE VICTORIA BATHS - MANCHESTER'S WATER PALACE | Does it have a future?

[@PaulMulvey-q6d]

This place is a very special, place !! My Wife and I met here on the 28 th October 1960 ! We have now been married 57 years , we now live in Portugal, but will be back in the UK ON THE 29 th May for a month we are hoping to revisit during that time , we are both looking forward to a very nostalgic visit 😄 PAUL & CAROL MULVEY.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Wow and wow - 28th of October 1960 and married 57 years. That is fantastic to hear! Yes, the Victoria Baths is a very special place indeed. Manythanks for your message, congratuiations and have an enjoyable return visit!

[@PaulMulvey-q6d]

@@AidanEyewitness Many thanks for your reply , Victoria Baths will always be close to our hearts , we we’re members of South Manchester Swimming Club back then and Carol my wife was a school friend of Caroline Hitchen at M/c Grammar, her Father was head of all Manchester Baths , We spent many hours upstairs at there house drinking coffee and playing records ( very innocent days !! ) with wonderful memories 😄 Best Regards Paul Mulvey.

[@AidanEyewitness]

@@PaulMulvey-q6d Nice to hear your accounts of those times.

[@brianhoward4159]

Thanks for sharing Aidan, love this video. We were never out of it as kids!

[@AidanEyewitness]

Lucky you that you went there as a child! Many thanks for your comment!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

The Victoria Baths is a beautiful building! I do love the architecture. I think Ian and I will have to come by and see it in person 🙂

[@AidanEyewitness]

You would be very honoured guests and if you could feature it on your channel, the whole Victoria Baths community would be very happy! It is only open on certain days however, so the visit would have to co-incide. Always on a weekend. In September, it is open for the Heritage Open Days.

[@luckykazivlog8782]

Good information!

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your positive feedback!

[@ians3586]

I think you said it well that "Buildings are more than just bricks and mortar, they are a symbol of the aspirations and ambitions of people." Also, you can't argue that a building is just brick and mortar if it's historical, exquisitely beautiful, and can't be replicated. A building like this is priceless. There aren't the funds and skills available to replicate this building. Also, unlike people, buildings can last a very long time. People experience the same sense of awe now at the Karnak Temple in Egypt that they experienced 4,000 years ago when they first witnessed its majesty. At a minimum, when it comes to buildings like these, they need to be maintained well enough that a future generation has the option of doing a full restoration.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Yes, absolutely right and very well expressed. So many buildings have been lost due to bad decisions, economic problems caused by government policy and just plain ignorance. There is a chance that the Victoria Baths could have been demolished. If it wasn't for the group of friends who rallied after the building was closed, it could have been knocked down and there would probably be an entirely forgettable residential building there today. The building shouldn't have deteriorated in the first place. Manchester City Council should have had the funding available to maintain it probably but there are permanent weaknesses in the way the UK is governed and local areas are supported. Many thanks as ever for your insightful comments.

[@bcegerton]

Brilliant Aidan, never got to go in there when it was open, still haven’t since it’s been closed as I lived over in Openshaw and went to Barmouth street Baths in Beswick or even Harpurhey Baths, both in a similar style to this. Hoping maybe this year I’ll get to one of the open days they have, camera in hand of course

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your great feedback. I too am sorry to say I never went there even once while it was open. I learned to swim at the old Stockport Baths which had a very nice Victorian swimming bath with cubicles. Just keep an eye on the Victoria Baths website. I'll be running the Photography Workshop again.

[@bcegerton]

@@AidanEyewitness That would be great Aidan, I learnt at was then, in the mid 70s, a new baths with new style Laundrette on Varley Street in Miles Platting as my Primary School, Corpus Christi was over the road. Unfortunately, both have since been demolished, our absolutely beautiful large Catholic Church is, or was when I last heard an Asian Wedding Venue. Of course there was uproar when it happened but what these people fail to realise is if you don’t use it ( closed down due to a dwindling congregation ) then it will close, it’s just not sustainable. No matter how much money the Catholic Church has, but that’s another story.

[@ians3586]

Very well done video of a stunning place.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks, glad you found it interesting, even though you don't have a personal connection or have visited the baths (yet)!

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

CONGRATS on hitting the big 1K and becoming monetised! Very well deserved. You have worked so hard to provide high quality, well researched content. Well done!

[@AidanEyewitness]

That's very kind, thank you very much indeed. The success and progress of your channel have also inspired me to continue. I don't feel inspired at all when I hear about KZbinrs with millions of followers, it seems too unattainable.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@AidanEyewitness people with millions of followers don’t have very specific little niches like you and I do 😉

[@stephenc6648]

A lovely video. I've never visited but seem to see an article about the baths every so often and suspect I became aware of them via your website. Very shocked to discover that the BBC's Restoration series was nearly 19 years ago. I was always curious about the less impressive Harpurhey Baths and Laundry which I used to pass on the 17 bus. I feel a Google rabbit hole beckoning.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your comment, and yes, it is quite shocking to think that it was all those years ago and that next year, it will be 30 years since the Baths were closed by Manchester City Council. They were open for 87 years prior to that. Time flies!

[@paulmason6474]

I really hope the City Council can get their fingers out and put their money where their mouths are. I used to go to the Turkish Baths years ago. The Aerotone Was very difficult to book ( you had to wait for people to die). Everybody who did have a booked slot had the same one each time every week. I was lucky enough to be given 15; minutes to enjoy this unique experience. If I remember correctly there were only two left in existence in the country. Happy Days. Loved this video.

[@AidanEyewitness]

The city council is focused on other more prestige-type, big-budget, futuristic projects, like the Factory Arts centre. They've given control of the Victoria Baths to the Trust and Friends so I think it might be true to say they've 'washed their hands' of the Baths. I think there's another video title there, with the words 'wasting', 'taxpayers money' and 'vanity projects' in it! Very interesting to hear about using the Aeratone. To me it looks a bit scary! Shame on me, I lived just around the corner from the Baths for a few years and never went there! Many thanks, as ever! If you can get in contact with me, I can send you one of my Hacienda postcards as thanks for your support for the channel.

[@GreenFamily-h4w]

Another absorbing video beautifully filmed and with a thought provoking and balanced commentary. I remember using those baths in the 50s and 60s, the quality and workmanship of those grand Victorian buildings spoke volumes about the wealth and prominence of Manchester and other cities. I won’t think about the suffering of the poor workers who often lived in abject poverty whilst the mill owners grew wealthy. I left Manchester in 1972 and although I’ve been back many times I haven’t been into town for many years, it’s almost unrecognisable now. Where are ordinary people living now the professional types have moved in? 😢

[@AidanEyewitness]

Many thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that video didn't gain many views, so I'm glad of your comment. People on more average incomes are living outside the centre of the city as before. I think the prestigious city centre residential towers are reserved for those on high incomes or who have a high net worth. In Hulme, the council flats with subsidised rents - look across at the upmarket Deansgate Gardens towers and neighbours.

[@kollusion1]

My old swimming baths, where I did all my bronze, silver, gold & lifesavers awards. Didn't like the building as I kid, found it cold, dated & scary! (Late 70's). Great video.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Thanks for those insights. We need to remember not everyone appreciated the building in the past. It’s important to have different perspectives. Looking back, you were lucky and took your swimming to a high level. That‘s great!

[@paulfrancis8764]

Great video and couldn’t be truer the damage Thatcher inflicted on the Northern communities!

[@AidanEyewitness]

Yes. More people need to wake up to that reality, and the damage from their backward and destructive policies continues to this day. Thanks very much for responding.

[@davidholmes2283]

It has always baffled me why it was called the affluent 80's. All I remember is factories and businesses closing down and unemployment around here. It wasn't easy.

[@simonfreer7950]

I remember as a child of 9 or 10 swimming there, the changing cubicles on the side of the pool was very strange.

[@AidanEyewitness]

Great to hear from you again! Yes, I remember as a child going to the old Stockport Baths. There was an older pool that was quite similar to the Victoria Baths, with cubicles along the sides. My mother took me there every Sunday morning, even in the snow! If you want to relive your memories of the cubicles and swimming in the Gala Pool, you should come along when the pool is filled. Check the website or follow the Victoria Baths on Twitter.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

"Males second class"?! Wow

[@AidanEyewitness]

That was Edwardian England, a very class-structured society. That would change soon after with the First World War. The Twenties were revolutionary times, but England is still quite class-structured today.

[@MagentaOtterTravels]

@@AidanEyewitness Yes, much more so than the US! That is one thing that fascinates Americans about Britain

[@C1223opuv]

Now that they are running it as a nightclub venue it has become the people’s Gin palace. They never had any Intention to run it as a swimming baths. It is now a horrible noise and antisocial behaviour generating mess. They should give back the million pounds and sell it.

[@AidanEyewitness]

I wasn't aware of that. I haven't been to Victoria Baths for a while. I wonder how often these events happen? Thanks for flagging it up.