Cleaning
the Baths |
Opening
the Baths to the public
A typical Sunday will start with cleaning and dusting. The building
is secure, but as it is unused, requires a lot of work to clean
it up and make it shine. Small repairs to make, trophies to fix
to the wall, floors to mop.
We'll
spend the rest of the day showing the public around the building.
Waiting for the 'Wow' moments when people either see things for
the first time, or see them again with new eyes. Young and old,
there's something for us all. The big stand up Jacuzzi, the slipper
baths, the architecture, the memories.
Save
Victoria Baths |
People
from all backgrounds come to the open days. There are people who
swam there, as far back as the 1920s. In the winters the council
would board the First Class Pool over, and set it up as a dance
hall; you can guarantee that at least one couple will come to reminisce
about how they met on the dance floor whilst up by the old slide
Phil Moss and his band thumped, swung, smooched and glided their
way thorough the standards of the day.
And
this is why the Victoria Baths is so important why it has to be
saved. It represents Manchester's arrogance at the turn of the century;
the confidence and even altruism we displayed in building a monument
to public cleanliness on this scale, with this much pomp. It's where
people first dipped their toes into the water, swimming or otherwise.
It's where communities did their laundry, where communities washed,
and it still binds the local community together.
It's
not just a building. It's not just a swimming pool. It's not just
an architectural gem or a series of 'Wow' moments. It's memories,
it's community, it's people.
|
 |
