The Hidden Glasgow Forums

100 year old slipper baths to be demolished. Can't be all that many pre-blitz buildings in Clydebank, pity the cooncil is in a hurry to demolish one of them.

More here: http://news.stv.tv/scotland/148278-historic-baths-set-for-demolition/

Fuckinbunchasodaheids.

West Dunbartonshire councillor Ronnie McColl disputes criticism that a town with so little of its past left, should want to destroy a piece of its history.

He said: "I don't think so. I think we have to move on, not so much history but a derelict building. If you were sitting 20 years ago and wanted to do this then yes it could probably have been saved. Now it's not." as we left it to rot until it wasn't economical to restore

and really would a swimming pool or a gallery be more useful and relevant to the people of Clydebank

...Campaigners against the plans believe getting rid of the historic assets, which has survived three nights of bombing during the Blitz of World War Two, is cultural vandalism.

Well, plus ca change eh? History's not even an irrelevance for some people, it's a handicap.

The local councillor/cultural vandal's claim is a classic.

With so many of the West of Scotland's classic Victorian and Edwardian pools gone - this should be saved and by the looks of things, I believe it could be. It looks a lovely building inside and if they were to retain those features and open the place, I am convinced that it would be an attraction of some kind to the area.

The two 'private clubs' they refer to are the Western Baths and Arlington Baths, the former has much of its internal decor and character removed - it is now a 'wet and dry complex' but without the little touches that made it famous or infamous. As to the latter, it still retains some of the characteristics especially in their 'Turkish' baths but even they have been forced to 'move with the times' including the dreaded and overused - Health and Safety.

Can't we retain anything that was good and built to last?

Delmont St Xavier wrote: ...................As to the latter, it still retains some of the characteristics especially in their 'Turkish' baths but even they have been forced to 'move with the times' including the dreaded and overused - Health and Safety.

Can't we retain anything that was good and built to last?

Haelth and Safety regulations can come across as being over the top at times but in an environment where there are hard, wet surfaces and people without much in the way of protective clothing they have their uses.

Victoria Baths in Manchester was in a similar position but was saved by a very active trust set up by volunteers, and eventually winning a BBC restoration programme. I visited it in about 2001 and it was in a dreadful state, rotting and full of pigeons. They seem to be doing a good job on it, but it is an expensive business http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/restoration.htm

before clydebank had to join dumbarton and become part of west dunbartonshire ronnie mcoll couldnae find the place with a map and a compass.those baths ,known in clydebank as the new baths are a real piece of living history and look as good inside today as they did the day they were wrongly closed.i went to an exhibition in there a couple of years ago by local artist tom mckendrick and it was stunning.the fight to save this building has just begun.successive councils have done more damage to our town than the blitz.regeneration my arse.

monument,sorry i forgot the same exhibition was taken to the victoria baths in manchester after it left clydebank.

The Survivors

Baths seem to be quite an easy target in the search for cuts, especially the older buildings, but it has now gotten to the point where your original Victorian and Edwardian baths are a rare beast.

We have, of course, prime examples of community will to save them in Govanhill and Maryhill, although you have to ask if this cycle of the council closing them, the buildings rotting and millions being spent recommissioning them isn't an enormous waste of resources??

As for this particular councillor - typical of councillors up and down the country eager to forward some shiny new useless project they can get photographed in front of at the opening, regardless of whether it's a facility of any use or merit.

No demand for Arlington or Western Bath style clubs in Clydebank? Fine, how about just making it a public baths again then?

I'd much rather go to an older facility with a bit of character, but most of the pools near me are pretty new. Nice enough, but nothing much to tell one from the other and no iota of that civic pride so intrinsic in much of their Victorian and Edwardian predecessors.

Is there not a question mark over the future of the Playdrome? Surely something of Old Clydebank
can be saved. I remember learning to swim here around 1947/48. If the Playdrome goes could this
not take over some of the facilities in the Playdrome? Wishfull thinking maybe.

I thought the original plan with the playdrome was that it was moving over to beside the college and morrisons was going there, but was shelved (temporarily?) due to land contamination on the old john browns site

Use it before you lose it.

bankies using a bath?

say it aint so!