The Marshall Street Baths (or ''Westminster Public Baths'') in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, London, were built in 1850. They were closed for refurbishment in 1997 and reopened on 27 July 2010 as a modernised

leisure centre A leisure centre in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia (also called aquatic centres), Singapore and Canada is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people ...

. The building is noted for its architecture and is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Background

The first public baths were built on the site by the Vestry of St. James in 1850. The proposal for the baths is mentioned in ''Public Baths and Wash-houses (1850)'' and suggests the baths follow a model of 64 first and second class baths, 60 washing compartments, 60 separate drying chambers, 16 ironing compartments and 2 large plunge baths (1st and 2nd class). The land for the Westminster baths was costed at £3,500 including a house for the superintendent. The highest charges were fixed by the Sir Henry Dukinfield's Act at 6d for first class warm bath, 2d for second class warm bath (half these prices for a cold bath) and with charges of 1d/hour for washing, drying and ironing apparatus. The present building, then known as The Westminster Public Baths, was started in 1928 and completed in 1931. Public funds financed the construction for the health and well-being of local people. The main swimming pool was lined with white Sicilian marble and this marble as well as Swedish green marble were used on the walls at either end. A bronze fountain in a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

at the shallow end, depicting a merchild with two dolphins, was designed by

Walter Gilbert Walter Gilbert (born March 21, 1932) is an American biochemist, physicist, molecular biology pioneer, and Nobel laureate. Education and early life Walter Gilbert was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 21, 1932, the son of Emma (Cohen), a ...

. Behind the main pool was a smaller pool, the 'second class bath', which measured 70 ft x 30 ft' covered by a

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

ed roof. Initially, the complex also included a child's welfare centre, a public laundry and public washing facilities.

Redevelopment

Marshall Street baths are owned by the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

and were closed by the Council in 1997. The site underwent refurbishment by Marshall Street Regeneration Ltd and reopened as part of a

Nuffield Health Nuffield Health is the United Kingdom's largest healthcare charity. Established in 1957 the charity operates 31 Nuffield Health Hospitals and 114 Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centres. It is independent of the National Health Service and ...

leisure centre in July 2010. It now run by Everyone Active.The facilities include a gym, steam room, sauna, dance and exercise studios. The renovated 1930s swimming pool still has its original marble-lined floors and barrel-vaulted ceiling.Westminster Council website

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/leisureandculture/active/marshallstreet
GLL Official WebsiteIdyllic Hot Tub Breaks
Grade II listed buildings in the City of Westminster Swimming venues in London Public baths in the United Kingdom