Building Name

Regent Road Public Baths, Regent Road/Derby Street, Salford

Date
1890 - 1892
District/Town
Salford
County/Country
GMCA, England
Client
Salford Council
Work
New Build
Status
Demolished
Contractor
Robert Neill and Sons

SELECTED DESIGN FOR THE REGENT ROAD BATHS – These baths are now in course of erection, from designs by Messrs. Mangnall and Littlewoods, architects, Manchester, who were selected in competition. The general contract was let last November to Messrs. R. Neill and Sons, amounting to £7,897, and the engineering contract amounts to £1,069. The elevations to Regent- road and Derby-street will be faced with the best pressed bricks and red terracotta, supplied by Mr. J. C. Edwards, of Ruabon, this material being well adapted for the various enrichments, which are treated in the Renaissance style. The swimming-baths will have top lights, and ventilation will be by vertical lights, regulated from below. The principals are to be of steel, formed of angle-irons top and bottom, riveted together and filled in at the spandrels with perforated ornamental ironwork. There will also be large end lights to each bath-room. The roof purlins and other exposed joiner's work to the roof, and also to all other portions of these baths, are of pitch-pine. The swimming-baths are of the depths to be 5ft. 9in. at the deep end, and 3ft. at the shallow end of the second-class bath; and 5ft. 6in. and 3ft. of the first-class bath. The embankment wall and bottom of the swimming- baths will be built of Portland cement concrete. The bottom will be 18in. in thickness, and the sides not less than 3ft. in thickness at the bottom, diminishing to 2ft. at the top, formed of the best Portland cement and stone ballast in the proportions of 4 to 1, the whole rendered inside with a good coating of cement and sand, in the proportions of 1 to 1. The walls will be faced with white glazed bricks, and the bottom paved with white glazed 6in. square #in. thick tiles, with blue tiles to form two lines. Subways, arched over, will be formed all round both swimming- baths, and under slipper-baths, for access to pipes and for repairs. The spittoon drains will act as drains for the footpaths. They will be 4in, cast- iron flanged pipes galvanised, and will be in length the exact width of the embankment walls, and will be cemented in or built as the work proceeds, and discharge into drains. The '' pipe will be laid at the deep end of the bath. The size of emptying-pipes from bath to sluice- valve to be not less than 9in. in diameter, the sluice-valve to be 9in.; the pipes after passing sluice-valve to be not less than 15in. in diameter. This applies to both baths. The footpaths of the second-class bath will be 5ft. 5in. in width, and the boxes 4ft. 6in, making second-class bath- room 47ft. 10in. in total width. Galvanised hand- rails, brackets, and spittoons will be provided, and one long continuous spitoon at each end of both baths. A spray formed of 1}in. copper tubing, with copper set screws, perforated, to form tube, to be fixed at shallow end of both baths, with sufficient length of 2in galvanised tubing to serve same from main, and 2in, gun-meta valve. The main cold-water service to be not less than 4in. diameter, to enter at the shallow end with 4in. cast-iron flanged and faced galvanised pipe, and 4in. sluice-valve to regulate the same. The dressing-boxes will be 3ft. 6in. in width (without doors in second-class bath). The partitions of dressing-boxes to be not less than 8ft. in height and 3in. from floor, and sup- ported by posts let into a galvanised cast-iron foot- step to protect same from rot, &c. The boxes will be drained and fitted with foot grids of red deal 'in. in thickness, full size of each box. The swimming-bath room and water will be heated with 3in. flanged and faced cast iron steam piping, laid on expansion rollers under the seats of the dressing-boxes on each side of the room, and be provided with two 3in., cast-iron valves with gunmetal seatings to each side. The heating pipes will terminate at the deep end of the room with two 2in gunmetal valves, one on each side; from these valves the steam will enter the water with 2in. copper tubing down each corner of the bath at the deep end, and two gunmetal 2in. tubes attached to 1'in. elbows, and provided with two 1'in. copper steam tubes, each 16ft. in length. Each tube terminates with copper or £ blank caps—the 1'in. tube to be per- orated in three rows, #in. apart, the diameter of perforations not to exceed 'gin. in the whole 14ft. of each l'in. tube, measuring from blank caps. The walls of swimming-bath room to a height of 5ft. will be faced with white glazed bricks, with ornamental coloured band at the height of 5ft., and above that up to the eaves of roof with buff-coloured facing bricks, relieved with panels and cornice. The roof will be so constructed as to be available for gymnastic exercises. The wrought-iron principals are calculated to support any weight that may be necessary in this respect. The men's slipper- baths (first-class) are placed on the right hand of the general entrance, and the women will use the same entrance, and ascend by a staircase near the entrance to the first pair floor, their baths being placed over those of the men's first-class. The second-class slipper-baths for men are at the left-hand entrance doorway, and extend along Derby-street, and at the back of the second-class swimming-bath, and are all lighted and ventilated from the roof, in addition to the side lights to Derby-street. There are provided ten first-class slipper-baths for men; the capacity of the rooms is 8ft. across the bath, and 6ft. 6in. from door to wall. The baths are enamelled outside as well as inside. No bath tops or casings are required. Floors of rooms to be of concrete, and floors of lobbies, corridors, etc., to door, and valve spindles, so as to be served from the outside. There will be provided in first- class slipper-baths, a vapour bath. There are eighteen slipper baths provided in second-class men's department, all placed on the ground floor. There are provided in women's first and second- class departments twelve slipper-baths—four first- class and eight second-class. There will also be provided one vapour-bath with one cooling-room, and in all other respects similar to that in the men's department. The ticket offices have a capacity of 12ft. by 12ft., with grate, mantel- piece, and sliding check windows in each entrance, for the delivery of tickets and towels, &c., and supplied with a counter, with polished baywood top, two money-drawers, and drawers for £ &c. The two entrances in Derby- street will each have turnstiles, having brass arms and wicket gate. The right-hand entrance is exclusively for the men's first-class baths, and women's slipper baths. The committee room is placed on first pair floor, at the Regent-road end, and is provided for meetings of the baths committee. This room is placed conveniently near the deep end of the second-class swimming-bath, and with the private entrance could be used for the committee or their friends on special occasions. There is a staircase leading to the special gallery at this end of second-class swimming-baths. The laundry is of good size, and placed over the boiler-house. The whole- washing machinery to be driven by one small vertical steam engine. [Building News 23 January 1891 page 128]

The roof over the new baths at Salford, illustrated last week, is to be glazed on Helliwell's patent System. [ Building News 30 January 1891 page 186]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 6 September 1890 Page 4 (Contracts)
Reference    Manchester Guardian Tuesday 9 September 1890 Page 1 (Contracts)
Reference    Building News 23 January 1891 page 128
Reference    Manchester Guardian 24 June 1891 page 7 with illustration
Reference    Manchester Guardian 25 June 1891 page 7 – foundation stone
Reference    Salford City Reporter Saturday 27 June 1891 Page 5
Reference    The Builder 4 July 1891 Page 15
Reference    Builder 11 June 1892 Page 464
Reference    British Architect 17 June 1892 Page 455
Reference    Manchester Guardian 3 June 1892 page 3
Reference    Kelly Directory