Victoria Baths plans for the restoration of the Turkish Baths has been turned down by the Heritage Lottery fund.
The plans for the next phase of its ongoing restoration were announced last year and were intended to bring back into public use one of the pool’s original leisure facilities and see the appointment of Fusion Lifestyle as leisure operator, who will partner with Victoria Baths Trust to deliver its vision.
All the original tiling, marble slabs, steam room and ceramic ceilings of the Turkish Baths will be preserved so that the public can once again enjoy the authentic experience as conceived by the building’s architect Henry Price when Victoria Baths first opened its doors in 1906.
Commenting on the decision Gill Wright, Project Development Manager at Victoria Baths said:
We are steadfastly determined to remain positive as we continue to plan for the future of Victoria Baths. The Trust has an experienced and committed board of Trustees in place and a strong and proven operator for the Turkish Baths, Fusion Lifestyle, who have confirmed that they will continue work with us. We also have a wonderful and dedicated staff and volunteer team working at Victoria Baths and many hundreds of committed supporters.”
She added:
“The HLF bid was to specifically bring back into public use the Turkish Baths to offer both an original and contemporary experience, with the rest of the space continuing to be used for arts and cultural events. We have every confidence that this is the right plan and we will now be applying the learning from HLF as we decide on the next steps.”
