Bon Accord Baths
 Pictured in 2024 | |
 | |
| Address | Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57°8′30.62″N 2°6′39.12″W / 57.1418389°N 2.1108667°W |
| Owner | Aberdeen City Council |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 30 August 1940 |
| Closed | 31 March 2008 |
| Architect | Alexander McRobbie |
| Website | |
| bonaccordbaths | |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | Bon Accord Baths |
| Designated | 27 June 1991 |
| Reference no. | LB20677 |
Bon Accord Baths is a category B listed Art Deco indoor swimming pool and baths complex in Aberdeen, Scotland. It is recognized as one of the most significant surviving swimming pools of the interwar period in the UK.[1] It is not currently operational, but is being managed by Bon Accord Heritage, a registered charity working to restore and reopen the facility under community ownership. It is currently listed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
History
Construction on the complex began in 1937, and it was opened on 30 August 1940.[2][3] The opening of the Baths was recorded in a surviving news film.[4]
The complex was called the "Uptown Baths" until its name was changed in 1955.
The complex was closed between April and November 2006 for refurbishment.[5] It was closed permanently by Aberdeen City Council on 31 March 2008 as part of wider budget cuts. The council stated that the operating costs were much higher than similar facilities across the UK, and that the complex were surplus to its requirements.[2] It was reported to have cost over £1 million per year to operate. In March 2010, the council announced that it was intending to sell the complex, noting that it had the potential for re-development while retaining the architectural features of the building.[6]
In 2015, a closing date was set for offers on the baths.[7] However, the complex was not sold. It is still owned by Aberdeen City Council, but Bon Accord Heritage have an agreement with the Council to develop plans for the restoration and reopening of the Baths under community ownership.[8]
In 2022, Aberdeen City Council passed a motion to give official support to the project.[9]
Architecture
The complex is housed within an Art Deco building, designed by architect Alexander McRobbie of the Aberdeen City Architects Department.[2] The structural system is reinforced concrete and masonry. The street elevation and side elevation of the front block are faced in local granite ashlar, the other exterior walls are finished with harling (viz. rough-casting). The relative austerity of the exterior belies drama and elegance of the interior, with an entry sequence consisting of a marble-clad ticketing hall and a sycamore wood-paneled corridor leading to a balcony overlooking the 120ft x 40ft pool. Seating for 1,000 spectators is arranged to either side of the pool. A five-level reinforced concrete diving tower is situated at the 15ft deep end.
The architectural critic and editor Catherine Slessor wrote in 2019 that "Underscored by a sense of municipal decorum and ambition, Alexander McRobbie's architecture steadfastly epitomises the famous maxim of Berthold Lubetkin: 'Nothing in too good for ordinary people'".[10]
It was Category B listed in 1991.[11]
Reopening campaign
The community group Save Bon Accord Baths (later becoming Bon Accord Heritage SCIO) was established in 2014 with the aim of reopening the complex for swimming.[12] In September 2020, the group held an Open Weekend, allowing the public entry to the building for the first time since its closure in 2008; more than 1,600 people visited the building over two days. Since then, open days have been held twice a year, including Doors Open Day in 2023 .[13] Since 2022, the annual Aberdeen Jazz Festival has staged musical performances at the Baths under the title Soundbath.
Extensive work has been undertaken by the volunteers and trustees to date, including the cleaning up of much of the building, remedial work to prevent further decline, removal of all vegetation from the roof, extensive boarding up of windows and securing of the building to prevent unauthorised access and vandalism.[14]
In 2023, the project was selected by the public as one of five local charity partners to receive funding from The Press and Journal's P&J 275 Community Fund.[15]
References
- ^ Gordon, Dr Ian; Inglis, Simon (2009). Great Lengths: The historic indoor swimming pools of Britain. English Heritage. pp. 224–225. ISBN 978 190562 4522.
- ^ a b c "Bon Accord Baths" (PDF). Aberdeen Local Development Plan. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, George (19 March 2022). "Why we must save Bon Accord Baths". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "Opening of new baths, Aberdeen". National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Bon Accord baths ready to reopen". BBC News. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Council chiefs make a splash by deciding to sell off iconic art deco pool". The Scotsman. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Closing date set for sale of Bon Accord Baths". Shepherd Chartered Surveyors. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Bon Accord Baths, Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen | Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland". Buildings at Risk for Scotland. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Munro, Craig (1 November 2022). "Boost for Bon Accord Baths restoration as council throws weight behind plans". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Slessor, Catherine. "My favourite building: Bon Accord Baths, Aberdeen". AHSS | The Magazine of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (Autumn 2019): 62.
- ^ "JUSTICE MILL LANE, BON ACCORD BATHS (LB20677)". portal.historicenvironment.scot. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Voice, Suzanne at Aberdeen (14 March 2014). "Bon Accord: We Can Run The Baths". Aberdeen Voice. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Walker, David. "Aberdeen's Bon Accord Baths to open doors to public next weekend". Evening Express. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Save Bon Accord Baths Homepage". Save Bon Accord Baths. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Leckie, Samantha (24 November 2023). "Thousands of votes cast as the winners of The P&J's 275 Community Fund are revealed". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 17 March 2024.