Hugh Mason Hall (former Public Baths) Ashton-under-Lyne
Situated in the St Petersfield conservation area which is undergoing development, this Grade II listed former municipal swimming baths was built in 1870 at a cost of £16,000
Once home to 2 pools, with sixty percent of the building occupied by the main bath @ 100ft long and 40ft wide and mainly used by male bathers
There was also a smaller pool in the eastern section of the building measuring 27ft long and 15ft wide, solely for the use of female bathers
The building also housed a number of private bathrooms and Turkish baths
Between November and March each year, the main pool was covered over with a wooden floor, built on wooden supports placed on the bottom of the pool
The room was then used as a skating rink, concert hall and meeting room
The skating rink measured 116 by 50 feet with a raised stage area at one end
When chairs were set out, the ground floor and the spacious gallery could seat more than 4,000 people
(History lifted from > Ashton-under-Lyne.com)
The building was closed when the newer baths were opened in the 1970's
It is now derelict but has been purchased by a developer for commercial use
Work has been completed to weatherproof the building - however there has been a lack of progress, due to the current economic climate
Heritage Works are currently would like to explore whether the Trust's involvement could be of assistance
Having eluded me for a while now since they did a better job of re-sealing the place I'd kind of forgotton about this one
Just last week I recieved a heads up from Thenew Mendoza that it was potentially do-able again, but was sadly I was away and unable to make it
After seeing that a few others had made it in and a couple of excellent reports pop up, I just knew I need to see this one quick before it becomes sealed again
Being that Mendo is too lazy to explore these days I decided to go for a quick mooch after work one evening and check it out for him
(But seriously cheers fella, without your info I very much doubt anyone would have given it a second look)
Main Doors - Ornate Victorian Brickwork
Old archive pic
And how it looks today
Old signage
View from the gallery
Between the pool & Turkish baths etc
Inside the 120ft chimney - I was expecting this to be real grim, but actually wasn't too bad, just the usual soot & pidgeon p00p, no big deal
