The Newcastle City Baths is a swimming and sports facility located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a Victorian-style Turkish baths.[1]

Newcastle City Baths
Exterior of venue (c.2009)
Map
54°58′38″N 1°36′39″W / 54.9773°N 1.6107°W / 54.9773; -1.6107
LocationNorthumberland Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
England, NE1 8SF
Opened1927
Operated byFusion
ArchitectNicholas & Dixon-Spain
Status
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameNorthumberland Baths / City Hall
Designated8 May 1992
Reference no.1242013
WebsiteVenue Website
Facilities
Gym, swimming pool

History

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The building was designed by Nicholas & Dixon-Spain and opened in 1927 as a part of a development which also included the adjacent Newcastle City Hall.[2] The city baths formed the west side of the complex and, like the city hall, the design involved a tall portico with central Doric order columns between flanking antae with five square windows above.[1]

In November 2012, Newcastle City Council announced that, as part of a wider cost-cutting process, the future of the City Hall and the adjacent City Baths was under review, with a number of options being considered including closure or handing over the venue to an external operator.[3]

In April 2016 it was announced that the Fusion Lifestyle, a leisure charity, had taken over management of the venue[4] and work commenced on a restoration programme at a cost of £7.5 million, which involved converting the main swimming pool into a gym area while a second, smaller pool, was retained for swimming.[5] The gym and swimming pool re-opened to the public in January 2020.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Historic England. "Northumberland Baths / City Hall (1242013)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  2. ^ "City Hall". Newcastle City Council. Archived from the original on 6 March 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
  3. ^ Wood, Kerry (30 November 2012). "Fears over cultural landmark Newcastle City Hall". nechronicle.
  4. ^ Meechan, Simon (1 April 2016). "New operators take over Newcastle City Hall, Pool and Turkish Baths". nechronicle.
  5. ^ "See inside Newcastle City Pool and Turkish Baths as work on its £7.5m restoration continues". Chronicle Live. 20 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Relaunch of Newcastle's City Baths begins 'year of hope' for historic pools". The Guardian. 5 January 2020.
  7. ^ "When will Newcastle City Baths reopen? Here are the dates for its pool and gym". Chronicle Live. 30 July 2020.
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