Local Events

One of Britain’s most historic and architecturally significant swimming baths will be celebrating its centenary in Birmingham on Saturday November 1st with a Memories and Memorabilia day to mark the end of a year-long commemoration.

The event is being staged by the Friends of Moseley Road Baths at Moseley Road Methodist Church, directly opposite Moseley Road Baths, from 12:00-4:30pm on Saturday, November 1st.

This is part of FofMRB's Pool of Memories project, which aims to record and archive the tales and stories of those who swam, socialised, washed or worked at the building on Moseley Road in Balsall Heath.

Entrance to the Women's Baths

Bring your own memories

The centrepiece of the day will be an exhibition of photos, video, reminiscences and artifacts such as swimming certificates and old costumes already collected. Visitors will be encouraged to add to the collection by recording their own memories and bringing their own memorabilia.

Tours of the baths, lasting up to an hour, will be on offer at 12:30 and 2:30pm during the Memories and Memorabilia day, while those unable to undertake tours will be able to view the Friends’ recently launched online Virtual Tour.

Click the link below to take the Moseley Road Baths Virtual Tour.

In addition, local history organisations and swimming clubs will have stalls at the event, and there will be games with a swimming theme for children.

"A hub of the community"

Friends of Moseley Road Baths spokeswoman Jen Austen- one of the event organisers- explains the importance of the baths:

Tea dance at Moseley Road Baths

“In its 101-year history, Moseley Road Baths has been a hub of the community, providing swimming and bathing facilities for generations of local people. Over that time, the building has played a part in the lives of almost every Balsall Heathan, and plenty more from further afield.”

Jen affirms that thousands of children learnt to swim at the baths, and the medals and trophies from school or youth galas over the year that have been collected for the Pool of Memories project are testament to this.

Until the 1950s, the winter programme of dances and other social events were a popular attraction.

"At Risk"

For others, the pools were known as the slipper baths, and served as a public washing facility. Moseley Road is the only complete set of slipper baths in Britain, and as the only baths of their era still in use in the UK, they are Grade II* listed.

Moseley Road Baths was opened in 1907

In July 2008 English Heritage placed the baths in a list of buildings deemed At Risk, along with other historic swimming facilities such as the now disused Uxbridge Lido.

At a time when the government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced a forthcoming £140 million investment in local authorities to allow free swimming for the over 60s, and to refurbish and maintain existing pools, the future of the ever popular Moseley Road Baths hangs in the balance.

In the public eye

The Friends of Moseley Road Baths are running an ongoing campaign to raise public awareness of the building’s uncertain fate. As Jen Austen explains, “There is a permanent question mark poised over the future of Moseley Road Baths.

"We want to keep this issue in the public eye, in the hope that, in conjunction with Birmingham City Council, the baths can be maintained as a public facility for years to come.”

For more information about the Pool of Memories project and Memories and Memorabilia day, email FofMRB@googlemail.com.