Location: Howard Park, Glossop
Donor: Samuel and Anne Kershaw Wood on land donated by Lord Howard of Glossop
Architect: Mills and Murgatroyd, Manchester
Builder: Samuel Robinson of Hyde. Foundations built by Mr H Birtwistle of Broadbottom. 1960 Modernisation: J. and J. Oakes of Stockport
Foundation stone laid: 30 July 1887
Date Opened: 4 February 1889<
Owner: Park Committee (1887-1895), Glossop Borough Council (1895-1974), High Peak Borough Council (1974-present)
Jubilee Gifts to Glossop
Woods Baths and Howard Park were built and donated by Samuel and Anne Kershaw Wood as part of the Jubilee Gifts to Glossop. They were built on land donated by Lord Howard of Glossop and cost £10,000 with some of the money used for endowment.
The architect was Mr Murgatroyd from the firm Mills and Murgatroyd in Manchester. He was a nephew of Samuel Wood. The builder was Samuel Robinson of Hyde and the foundations were built by Mr H Birtwistle of Broadbottom.
The foundation stone was laid on 30 July 1887 in a day of grand ceremonies. The jubilee gifts were Howard Park, Woods Baths, Woods Hospital and Victoria Hall. Anne Kershaw Wood laid the foundation stone for the baths. Her husband did not attend due to ill health.
After the ceremony at the baths, Anne Kershaw Wood made a speech:
“Cleanliness, they were told, was next to Godliness, and the next was decency. It was useless to tell people they ought to have bath when they have nothing but the blue vault of heaven for a roof. In the future they would have no excuse for uncleanliness, nor for shocking the sensitive nerves of people by impropriety. She hoped the people of Glossop would live closer together in love and unity, and that they would all be spared to see the completion of the works inaugurated that day, to see the sick taken care of, the healthy enjoy recreation in the park, and afterwards a refreshing bath, and those that wished to improve their minds or enjoy a dance, to find the means at hand in the library and public room that were to be opened.”
Samuel Wood sadly died in 1888 so never saw the baths completed. When the building was finished Anne Kershaw Wood hosted a dinner for the workmen.
In the beginning the baths were run by a committee of trustees made up of Anne Kershaw Wood, her brother James Sidebottom and Mr Hawke who was the agent of Lord Howard.
Opening
The baths were opened on Monday 4 February 1889 without ceremony. The buildings are of Italian character and roofed with greenish slate. The ventilating tower is 100 feet high.
They contained the main swimming pool, private baths for both sexes, vapour baths, and a fine range of Turkish baths, with hot room, three cooling rooms, and shampooing room. There were separate entrances for men and women.
At first the main swimming pool was intended for men only and there were plans to eventually build a pool for women and a bathkeepers residence. In the rear was a boiler house, with pumping machinery and arrangements for heating, also a wash house and drying room.
On the day of opening a palm tree from Moorfield, the home of Mrs Wood, had been placed near the diving board. Swimmers would leave their clothes in the gallery.
The pool was used for many activities such as swimming galas and water polo.
Conveyance to the Council
In January 1895 the trustees of the baths and park decided, for various reasons that they could no longer keep up their duty. They decided to gift the park and baths to Glossop Borough Council. The Council accepted and took them over shortly afterwards.
The baths required many resources. In April 1895 the Council tendered for the coal supply for the baths for “about 6 tons a week”.
Modernisation
No major alterations were made to the baths for many years. In 1928 a chlorination and filtration plant was installed. More improvements were made in 1955, with a new boiler, pump and chemical dosage plant. In 1956 a leak that had been giving trouble for 50 years was fixed.
There was talk of modernisation as present conditions were felt to be inadequate. The baths were well used and in July 1955 received a record 10,000 visitors. This highlighted the lack of changing room for bathers. The only space to change and store clothes was in cubicles at the side of the pool and thefts were frequent. There was only one foot bath and shower for the whole pool.
Bathers would have to use the gallery and slipper baths as changing rooms and spectators to swimming galas would have to stand at the edge of the pool causing inconvenience to everyone.
A scheme for modernisation was decided on in 1958 at a cost of £16,000. This had been reduced from £19,000 by substituting materials, so not to be a burden to the ratepayers. By 1960 the Council had changed their minds and the scheme now cost £25,000 with a 3d increase to the rate.
In the new scheme the old balcony and changing cubicles were to be removed and a new large balcony rebuilt with access from the foyer. There would be new diving boards and heated seats for bathers. The steam baths and slipper baths were removed. New changing accommodation would be built in the area of the old slipper baths. There were separate rooms for men and women with changing cubicles. Clothes were handed to an attendant who put them in wire baskets in a storage area. This allowed more bathers to use each cubicle.
A new office was built and one of the entrances closed. A kitchen was provided to make snacks for gala nights. There were six new slipper baths and these alternated between men and women on different days. A car park was built at the side of the baths.
The new baths were opened on Tuesday 18th July 1961 by the Mayor, H. Hadfield.
Alderman Hadfield said the alterations were outstanding. “I think this is a case where instead of the council getting the usual abuse for the things that they do, the ratepayers should give their thanks.”
In November 1961 Councillor Bradbury described a request for more alterations to the pool as “a great shock”. He pointed out that £30,000 had already been spent on the scheme.
Further Improvements
In 1977 the old coal boiler was replaced with a gas fired one. This meant that there would no longer be smoke from the chimney.
In the 1990s the pool was restored at the cost of over £1 million. It was repaired and reroofed, the interior was modernised and the water purification and heating plant improved. The changing rooms were given a facelift and the wire basket system removed. This resulted in many complaints especially about the ladies changing rooms which only had 6 cubicles and a communal changing area, which wasn’t enough for the number of users.
The new look pool was opened by the Mayor, John Francis in September 1993.
The pool remains open today and enjoyed by residents of Glossop and beyond.
Sources
Glossop Chronicle, various dates
Photographs and booklet about the pool re-organisation scheme 1961 (GHT Archive)