Victoria Baths Guided Tour
Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor
After spending the winter in hibernation, the Victoria Baths Guided Tour is back. Book your tickets and enjoy a trip around one of Manchester’s architectural gems.
Explore the glorious swimming, bathing and leisure facilities which were crafted over a century ago. With two swimming pools, Turkish baths and an aeratone (old-fashioned Jacuzzi), Victoria Baths were declared “a water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud”.
Over time, the baths fell into disrepair and were closed in 1993. Thanks to a protest movement, the building was saved from demolition, and, eventually, refurbished and returned to its former glory. This work continues to this day, led by the Friends of Victoria Baths with the help of friends, volunteers and supporters. A significant moment in the rejuvenation of the building was when it featured in the BBC’s Restoration series in 2003, which was an amazing success.
Thanks to these restoration efforts, visitors to Victoria Baths can enjoy original features from stained glass windows and terracotta tiling to the mosaic floors from when it opened in 1906. Nowadays the people of Manchester enjoy the building as a place of significant cultural and historical interest and as a well-programmed events space that has hosted everything from beer festivals to cinema screenings via exhibitions and spectacular theatre.
“A water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud.”
You can discover this early 20th-century feat of construction for yourself with the Victoria Baths Guided Tour.
Led by an experienced and knowledgeable guide, you’ll hear the history of the building through the stories of bathers who once flocked here and get to understand the detail of the incredible architecture.
Guided tours of Victoria Baths run most Wednesdays and start promptly at midday, although the building will be open from 11am until 3pm. It’s recommended to book in advance as spaces are limited. Be sure to make a day of it and visit the nearby Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, and, of course, the Whitworth art gallery.
