As Christmas creeps a little closer and to do lists get a little longer Victoria Baths has created the ultimate shopping experience; one that combines individually curated products, mince pies and a festive drink to enjoy as you browse.
On Sunday 11 December (12noon to 4pm) and Thursday 15 December (4:30pm to 8:30pm) the Victoria Baths Shop will be opening its door for a special shopping extravaganza full of newly launched products, gift ideas inspired by the historic building and oozing with Christmas charm
As unique settings go there can be few other shops that make their home in the ticket office of one of the grandest swimming pools in the country. Once the city’s bath house, Victoria Bath’s history has inspired some of the gift ideas including bars of organic soap (£4.00) and a tea towel that carries the Public Baths & Wash-Houses 1938 regulations (£8.00). And you can even take a piece of Victoria Baths home with the Angel of Purity jigsaw (£20)!
Debuting a new range of prints, postcards and wrapping paper is trailblazing surface pattern illustrator Sarah Thornley. Fresh from winning a series of industry awards, including the GREEN GRADS Gold Award, Sarah has used her talents to create a range of pieces based on the Angel of Purity stained glass window and the fish mosaic seen in the flooring of the First Class Entrance Hall. These are accompanied by a stunning line drawing illustration of the exterior of Victoria Baths. Prices start from £1.50.
Adding to the craft and design are the beautiful handmade glass decorations by local stained glass artist Lesley Jane Miller (LJM Glass). You can go Christmassy with baubles and robins, or celebrate our great City with Manchester Worker Bee inspired decorations. Hung on a tree or at a window to catch the light, they make a gorgeous gift for friends, family or yourself! Prices start from £4.
Local distillery Winding River has created a special Victoria Baths Small Batch Gin that would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s drinks cabinet, or the must have gift for a gin lover. Made to a traditional Victorian London Dry style it contains ten botanicals including juniper, coriander, cassia bark, cubeb pepper, cardamon, liquorice root, kaffir lime, nutmeg, ginger and bergamot. The beautifully designed 70cl bottle is £40.
The Victoria Baths Shop will be bursting with original ideas and this includes gift bundles designed for your special someones. For these VIPs it’s all about ViBs, with a Very important Brew kit for the tea lo
ver in your life and a Very important Bag for your friend the shopaholic. There is also a Crafty Kids Kit, Deck the Hall kit and many more inventive ideas, with prices ranging from £5 to £25.
Visitors to the shopping events will be served a mince pie and warming drink to enjoy as they shop. All proceeds from Victoria Baths Shop help to support the work of Victoria Baths Trust, which oversees the upkeep of the Grade II listed building and ensures that it remains open as a cultural venue and community resource.
If you cannot make it to one of the shopping events, some of the products can be ordered via the online shop: www.victoriabathsshop.com
For further information on Victoria Baths visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk
