Heeley Public Baths
Location/Address
Broadfield Road, Sheffield
Type
Description
Baths complex of brick built structures comprising a single and two storey entrance building with three bay deep range to the southwest; assorted functional buildings around a courtyard to the northeast, including a tall tower and chimney to the boiler house; and a wide pitched range to the rear housing the pool. The principal entrance has a pair of prominent doorways for "Men" and "Women" with Gibbs surrounds and an ornate pediment with plaque reading "Public Baths". The adjoining buildings are enriched with Neo Baroque detailing in sandstone including ornate window surrounds, cornicing and stone bands. The original boundary wall and railings also survive. Although the interior of the building has been modernised, with a gymnasium replacing the former slipper baths, the pool hall retains much of its original character, including its gallery.
Built at a cost of £12,500 to designs by Arthur Nunweek who later extended the Glossop Road Baths, adding a new pool to the existing Turkish Baths. Heeley Baths opened on Monday July 19th 1909; they were described as the "last word in bath construction" including a large 75 foot swimming bath with a public gallery (a first for Sheffield), 58 dressing boxes (the most of any bath in Sheffield at the time), a children's dressing room with separate entrance, douche baths, Russian baths, a committee room, and ladies' retiring room. The construction of the swimming bath was on a new model, being of reinforced concrete and with a sloping base to accommodate a shallow end. The baths proved very popular, with 3166 bathers recorded for the week ending July 28th, becoming the most used bath in the city. They formed a part of a programme of public bath building by Sheffield Corporation, following the Public Heath Act of 1875, and date to a period when few households boasted a fixed bath.
Source: Harman, R. & Pevsner N. 2017. The Buildings of England - Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 31.07.1909; Sheffield Independent 20.07.1909; Shaw, C. 1993 "Aspects of Public Health", in The History of The City of Sheffield 1843-1993: Society.
Statement of Significance
Asset type
BuildingAge
1909Rarity
The building is rare for the local area, being the only public baths of this period built in Heeley. The chimney within the complex is itself now a rare survivor, as many such structures have been demolished as industrial premises in the city have closed.Architectural and Artistic Interest
High quality Neo-Baroque building designed by the architect Arthur Nunweek. A diverse yet harmonious composition of distinct parts providing a prominent public entrance whilst embellishing its functional components. Internally the building has been modified, but the pool hall retains its original sense of proportions and distinctive gallery with iron railing.Group Value
Forms a group of broadly contemporary leisure buildings - the Abbeydale Picture House is to its rear, built in 1920, which served the growing residential suburb to the south of the city.Historic Interest
The building has considerable social and communal interest. The baths were a significant addition to municipal health & welfare provision. The building also has strong communal associations, as demonstrated in online discussions at the time of its centenary in 2009 (see: https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/topic/193856-heeley-baths-your-memories/).Landmark Status
The building is a physical landmark forming a promient structure on Broadfield with its chimney visible from the the surrounding area - this can be seen from some distance.Images and Documents
Date Listed
18 Sep 2023
Last Updated
03 Mar 2023
Find Out More
Find out more about this Asset in South Yorkshire Local Heritage List:
https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/south-yorkshire/asset/12709
https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/south-yorkshire/asset/12709