Birmingham, West Midlands
Oosoom, CC BY-SA 3.0
Grade II*-listed, 1907, William Hale and Son
Moseley Road Baths is one of Birmingham’s most significant public buildings and one of only two Grade II*-listed bathhouses from the Victorian and Edwardian period in which it is still possible to swim. The building was proposed by the district of Balsall Heath in the 1890s and a bill was passed soon afterwards on the understanding that an expanded Birmingham City Council would assume responsibility for the construction and management of the building, but they opened much later than planned. The severe delays in boring a well on the premises set the development back eight years and when it opened in 1907 it came in significantly over budget, at a cost of almost £34,000.
The building was designed by William Hale and Son, and follow the same idiom as the neighbouring Free Library, completed in 1895 as part of the same project. It combines an irregular massing with Jacobean and Flemish details, and a pared-back material palette is of redbrick and terracotta. The interior retains many of its original features, including a set of 46 individual washing rooms, oak ticket offices and attendants’ kiosks, and the oldest surviving steam-heated drying racks in England. The difference between the first-class and second-class pools was registered in their dimensions, their changing facilities, and the level of their detailing, with the larger pool incorporating elegant filigree, cast iron roof trusses as well as a three-sided spectator gallery with bowed, wrought iron balconettes.
At present, only one of the two pools is still in use, and there are fears that even this may not continue for long as the building continues to deteriorate. The essential repair costs have been estimated at £30 million, and without considerable grant funding, it seems unlikely that the local council will be able to fund a comprehensive restoration. Knowing how difficult it is to find uses for closed swimming pools, the Victorian Society is anxious to keep this outstanding building going for many years to come.
Status Update / March 2026
In 2017 a group of organisations came together to form the Moseley Baths Coalition, which included Birmingham City Council and Historic England, as well as the National Trust, the World Monuments Fund, and the Friends of Moseley Baths. Since then, the coalition has contributed more than £2.5 million in expertise and training, together with £35.5 million in grant funding, which has enabled a phased restoration and redevelopment to take place. Significant developments have included the restoration of the Gala pool, roof repairs throughout the building, and the reopening of the manager’s apartments.