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Summary

Description

T G Abercrombie, dated 1921. 2-storey, 5-bay, symmetrical, Scots Renaissance swimming pool with distinctive central round tower with bellcast roof and deep eaves to front (SW) and with gabled swimming hall to rear. Ashlar to front section; concrete rendered brick to rear. Raised cills; crowstepped gables to side gables. Base course, cornice. Dormers breaking wallhead with broken segmental-arched dormerheads with thistle icon in opening. Later rendered extensions to swimming hall at SW and NW.

SW (STREET) ELEVATION: symmetrical. Central 2-stage advanced entrance tower with steps leading to opening with moulded, corniced, key-stoned, shouldered architrave with dated key-stone. VICTORY BATHS in lettering above. Inscribed memorial stone above with flanking coats of arms. Moulded and corbelled cill-course to upper stage. Upper stage with 3 window openings with Doric pilastered architraves; surmounted by bellcast roof with thistle finial. Flanking symmetrical 2-bays. Continuous raised architraves to ground and upper storey window openings; aprons to upper storey.

INTERIOR: (seen, 2013). Original layout largely intact with swimming hall to rear. Entrance hall with wall-mounted timber war memorial. Some simple cornicing. Pool hall with fully glazed roof; Doric pilasters to side walls. Changing cubicles to poolsides at ground. Balcony above with timber seating.

Predominantly multi-pane timber windows; some with top-opening hoppers. Grey slates. Cast iron rainwater goods.

BOUNDARY WALLS AND RAILINGS: to street elevation. Low coped boundary wall surmounted by wrought iron railings with some decorative motifs. Square-plan piers to NW and SE.

GATEPIERS AND LAMPS: pair of capped, square-plan gatepiers to centre with base courses, blank stone plaques to street; surmounted by lanterns with metal stands.

Statement of Special Interest

This is a particularly fine and well-detailed swimming pool in the Scots Renaissance style with a distinctive and unusual round entrance tower with a striking bellcast roof. The stonework decoration to the street elevation is particularly fine and a thistle motif is apparent in the finial and dormerheads. The original boundary walls, gatepiers and lamps survive and these add to the significant streetscape presence of the building. Internally, the swimming pool has retained its unusual fully glazed roof and cubicles at the pool side.

The baths were donated to the town from Lord and Lady Lobnitz, who lived in the nearby Blythswood House (demolished 1935). They opened the pool in 1921.

There were originally public baths available in the basement. These are no longer in situ.

Thomas Graham Abercrombie (1862-1926) was one of the most important architects in Paisley. His work is particularly associated with the town and its surrounding area.

Swimming clubs and bath houses were established in Scotland from the 1850s following the enactment of the 1846 Act to Encourage the Establishment of Public Baths and Wash-houses, which was established to improve general public health with access for all classes of citizen. With the rapid expansion of urban population, often living and working in unsanitary conditions, bath and wash houses were seen as essential public services. The Act, which affected the entirety of Britain, encouraged local authorities to open up these facilities in areas of dense population. These bath and wash houses soon started to cater for recreational swimming as well as washing and became a hugely popular social past time during the 20th century.

List description updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

References

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