History
(From historicenvironment.scot)
Bon Accord Baths was constructed to provide a centrally located public baths in Aberdeen, as previously the public bathed at baths overlooking Aberdeen beach. Although the foundation stone was laid in 1936 the building was not completed until August 1940 and cost £37,000. The swimming pool is 120 feet long x 42 feet wide with the water varying in depth from 3 to 15 feet. Flanking the pool is raked seating for 1000 spectators to view the many galas that were held at the pool. The baths closed in March 2008.
A rare surviving example of an inter-war public baths in Scotland and a good example of Art Deco architecture, the building has significant streetscape presence with an austere frontage achieved by articulating the Art Deco style in granite. The interior of the building is richly detailed with the austerity of the façade giving way to an entrance lobby with curved walls lined with blond 'ripple' sycamore' timber panelling and chrome fittings. The vaulted roof of the swimming pool, elegantly supported by large concrete arches, allows for the walls to be punctured by large windows flooding the space with natural light. This space also retain many of its original fixtures and fittings including the raked timber seating and the sculptural concrete diving board platforms. The underwater lighting along the length of the pool is believed to be one of the early examples of such lighting. The pool is described as '1930s baths architecture at its very best' (Gordon and Inglis, p225).
Visit
This place is right on my doorstep, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to venture inside. I think I expected it to be in much worse condition being right in the city centre and having been empty for around ten years now. How wrong I was.
There's a fair amount of graffiti in the pool itself, but the rest of the building is relatively untouched. And I've yet to come across a building with so many intact mirrors.
Around halfway through my visit I heard voices outside and assumed this was probably just sound from the street carrying inside. but as I returned to the main pool block I heard voices again, this time much closer. Peeking around the corner from the foyer, I spied a group of teens on an exterior roof, nosying around the windows but clearly unable to get inside. They left not long after, allowing me to finish looking around and leave in peace.
(From historicenvironment.scot)
Bon Accord Baths was constructed to provide a centrally located public baths in Aberdeen, as previously the public bathed at baths overlooking Aberdeen beach. Although the foundation stone was laid in 1936 the building was not completed until August 1940 and cost £37,000. The swimming pool is 120 feet long x 42 feet wide with the water varying in depth from 3 to 15 feet. Flanking the pool is raked seating for 1000 spectators to view the many galas that were held at the pool. The baths closed in March 2008.
A rare surviving example of an inter-war public baths in Scotland and a good example of Art Deco architecture, the building has significant streetscape presence with an austere frontage achieved by articulating the Art Deco style in granite. The interior of the building is richly detailed with the austerity of the façade giving way to an entrance lobby with curved walls lined with blond 'ripple' sycamore' timber panelling and chrome fittings. The vaulted roof of the swimming pool, elegantly supported by large concrete arches, allows for the walls to be punctured by large windows flooding the space with natural light. This space also retain many of its original fixtures and fittings including the raked timber seating and the sculptural concrete diving board platforms. The underwater lighting along the length of the pool is believed to be one of the early examples of such lighting. The pool is described as '1930s baths architecture at its very best' (Gordon and Inglis, p225).
Visit
This place is right on my doorstep, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to venture inside. I think I expected it to be in much worse condition being right in the city centre and having been empty for around ten years now. How wrong I was.
There's a fair amount of graffiti in the pool itself, but the rest of the building is relatively untouched. And I've yet to come across a building with so many intact mirrors.
Around halfway through my visit I heard voices outside and assumed this was probably just sound from the street carrying inside. but as I returned to the main pool block I heard voices again, this time much closer. Peeking around the corner from the foyer, I spied a group of teens on an exterior roof, nosying around the windows but clearly unable to get inside. They left not long after, allowing me to finish looking around and leave in peace.
