Harpurhey Baths.
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Harpurhey Swimming Baths dates back to the early 1900s when public bathing became popular in England.
The twin pool building, one male pool and one female pool is now a Grade II listed building and currently sits in a very sad state of disrepair and decay, rotting from the inside out.
Surprisingly though certain features have with stood the test of time and are in exceptional condition, from the original wooden changing rooms to the victorian looking tile work that runs through out the main sections of the building.
The baths finaly closed down in 2001, no doubt there dated interior and facilities helped contribute to there demise compared to their much newer adversaries in the centre of Manchester.
Saying that though, inside the building is relativley attractive and does have a very victorian feel to it, even though its not victorian, its one of them buildings you would rather come to admire than use for its facilities.
The other thing you notice is how small the place actually is compared to more modern swimming pools and leisure centres, that said though it is practically over 100 years old.
Since seeing reports of this place dating back to 2007 it was one of them places that was worth seeing but not worth going out of the way for, after all a swimming pool is a swimming pool and despite how old they are there all basically the same.
Anyway whilst researching other potential explores in the area myself and The New Mendoza decided to drop in and have a look round the old place.
Access was relativley easy but it was the weather conditions that proved more of a challenge than getting in, it was that cold we couldnt feel our hands!
Once inside though we braved the cold conditions and started snapping away, first stop was the pools themselves, and for a place going on 100 years old or more they are in extremeley good condition.
The wooden changing rooms some of which still had there original fittings in, including baths where worth seeing alone, although by far the most impressive features where the tiles themselves which line the various corridors around the place.
Not a huge explore but if your in the area they are worth dropping in to see as buildings like this are very few and far between, especially with so many original features still intact.
Date : March 2008 : Location : Manchester : Explorers : Havoc : The New Mendoza
