Leodis - a photographic archive of Leeds

York Road, Public Baths and Library

Description:
c1938 View of the public swimming baths and library on York Road. Designed by architect H. Ascough Chapman, the building was opened in October 1904 and housed a 23 metre swimming pool with ladies, gents and Russian baths, as well as a free public library.

User Comments:

Name:

lindathackray@btinternet.com

Comment:

We used to go swimming here in the 1950's from Victoria School. If you were lucky enough to have some spare pennies you could buy a Bovril drink or a Wagon Wheel biscuit after the swim. Happy days.

Email:

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Name:

Geoff Heald

Comment:

Does anyone remember the bakery up the left side of the photograph.you could buy a large warm breadcake for 3pence in old money to share with your schoolfriends.

Date:

11-Oct-2009

Email:

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Name:

Tim Driscoll

Comment:

I learned to swim at these baths and used to regularly go for a dip with my mates. There used to be hot baths off the corridor for hire where you could have a bath, most of the houses in the area wouldn't have had a bathroom when originally built. If the changing cubicles were all full you had to get changed on the balcony which overlooked the pool. I do remember that there was always a lot of chlorine in the water which used to make my eyes sting to a point where I could hardly open them and need leading home like a blind person.A great place for kids though.

Date:

11-Oct-2009

Email:

tim.driscoll@btopenworld.com

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Name:

Richard Walton

Comment:

I have passed this building 1000s of times and it has been closed as long as I can remember. I hope there's some pics of how it looked inside.

Date:

11-Oct-2009

Email:

rwalton159@gmail.com

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Name:

Betty Crew

Comment:

The flat bit at the back of the building was the wash house. My mum and her neighbours used to take their washing in an old pram once a week and bring it home dry. The door on the right of the building was a library.

Date:

09-Feb-2010

Email:

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Name:

Barbara Martin

Comment:

I used to work for libraries in the 1990's this building used to house our binding department until it was moved to saxton gardens. there was a spiral staircase and old stained glass windows in the building. It was sold off in the late 90's or early 2000's

Date:

27-Apr-2010

Email:

barbara.martin@leeds.gov.uk

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Name:

Janet Edwards

Comment:

This is the baths were I learnt to swim. I cant beleive there are no photos of the inside. When I was allowed to catch the bus and go with my pals I remember there was a derelict church over the road and we used to climb up to the eves. The cemetery to the church was moved and there are now houses on the site. Does anyone else remeber.

Date:

13-Aug-2010

Email:

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Name:

J. Tebbs

Comment:

I learned to swim here in the early 1950's and yes Geoff I too remember the bakehouse at the side. Hot bread mmmmmmmmmmmm...loverly.

Date:

01-Jan-2011

Email:

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Name:

Geoff Heald

Comment:

There his scaffolding all round the building. 11/01 2011.

Date:

16-Jan-2011

Email:

geoff.heald@ntlworld.com

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Name:

Peter Roberts

Comment:

to Janet Edwards: The old church you refer to was the old Baptist Chapel... if you go to search on the home page and type in "York Road, Baptist Chapel" you will find 3 pictures of the Chapel in its former glory. re: baths, all I can remember is 'floating' (my uneducated infant mind told me I was drowning)with a piece of flat cork under my chin and someone with a very long pole pushing me to the middle of the water everytime I tried to get near the edge to get out... of course like everyone else who went to these baths I remember the Bovril/Oxo drink and salted biscuits/crisps after being in the pool was worth the pain of learning to swim, and the warm breadcakes from the little bakery hut next door were worth dying for!

Date:

16-Jan-2011

Email:

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Name:

Brenda

Comment:

I remember this swimming pool, never did like green water. I liked the Union Swimming Baths that had blue water, and yes I know it was only the tiles that gave the water it's colour.

Date:

18-Jan-2011

Email:

ironsbren@msn.com

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Name:

Janet Hall nee Mason

Comment:

Went here for swimming lessons in the early 50's. Got pushed in the deep end and that terrified me of going under water for years! Remember the hot bovril afterwards though - still love it today.

Date:

29-Jul-2011

Email:

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Name:

Colin

Comment:

Some really nice times there

Date:

29-Aug-2011

Email:

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Name:

Peter Jackson

Comment:

We used to come here every thursday for swimming lessons during the 1949 /50 I recall a Mr Shaw parading all us non swimmers and giving us an out line of the breast stroke on the side of the pool then ordering us into the deep end and holding the pole infront of us and being told to kick off and grab the pole, of course it was always out of reach, within one year I had obtained three certificates for swimming but still continued to attend the thursday sessions it was better than sitting in school, the penny bovril and the penny brylcreem were the highlights of the day

Date:

13-Jan-2012

Email:

ciaopj@optusnet.com.au

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Name:

brian hall

Comment:

yes geoff i too remember the bakery when we came out of the baths we would go over the road to jordans greengrocers io get tomatoes and lettuce to put inside the breadcakes my mouth is watering as i type this

Date:

06-Feb-2013

Email:

brian374hall@btinternet.com

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