The Victorian Society is calling on people to write to the leader of Bradford Council to explain why Manningham Pool is important to them.
The Grade II-listed Manningham Baths on Carlisle Road is the most important Edwardian pool of its type in the whole country. None other survives in such an intact state, but council spending cuts mean it could be lost for the sake of a saving of just £120,000.
‘The council clearly hasn’t realised how important the pool is for local school children learning to swim, for the physical and mental health of the people of Manningham and for the heritage of the nation’, said Dr Ian Dungavell, Director of the The Victorian Society. ‘If your children learn to swim there, or if you value the atmosphere or the women-only sessions then you need to write to the leader of Bradford council and tell him why it must not close.’
The council has recently embarked on a consultation process to establish whether the pool could be run by a local community group or business. The Victorian Society believes that to safeguard its future Manningham Baths should continue to be owned and run by the local authority.
Letters should be addressed to Councillor Ian Greenwood, Leader’s Office, City Hall, Bradford, BD1 1HY