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Sheffield Swimming Baths


Stuart0742

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In a separate topic I posed the question about naming 24 swimming clubs in Sheffield in 1904.

So Can we list Sheffield's Swimming Baths, proper ones not ones modern ones attached to Schools etc?

Any stories about Sheffield Swimming Baths?

How many were there?

How many are left?

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Glossop Road, Sutherland Road, Longley Park, Hillsborough, Upperthorpe, Park, Attercliffe, Sheaf Valley, Ponds Forge, Millhouses lido.

Do you count King Edward's? It was originally attached to the school but has been run as an independent concern for quite a few years.

We went for lessons from Longley Juniors to Sutherland Road, from Firth Park we went to Hillsborough up to the 6th Form and then to Glossop Road. Just once on a hot summer's day we went from Firth Park to Longley pool. I've never felt anything so cold! Apart that is from a visit a few years later to Millhouses lido. Some people never learn!

I didn't really learn to swim until 6th form. before that I hated it! I have vague memories of a series of sadistic instructors, regardless of which baths we went to.

We took both our kids to lessons at King Edwards, and both took to the water like fish. Must take after their Mum, she's a keen swimmer, goes to the over-50's session every Monday morning at king Ted's (they have the water warmer then!)

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We used to go for swimming lessons at Heeley Baths from Totley County Primary. The instructor was called Mr. Wall I seem to remember. The only other thing I remember was the smell of peppermint from the Dixon's rock factory.

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There were public baths on Scott Road at Pitsmoor, they were demolished in the 1970's. I took a photo of the ruins, just part of a tiled wall with the words 'Deep End' I would love to post it but I can't find it.

Were public baths marked on any maps (not on mine)

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There were public baths on Scott Road at Pitsmoor, they were demolished in the 1970's. I took a photo of the ruins, just part of a tiled wall with the words 'Deep End' I would love to post it but I can't find it.

Were public baths marked on any maps (not on mine)

Would that originally have been part of De La Salle school?

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Corporation Street baths which I think was both swimming and slipper.

Any ideas why they were called " slipper ".

I used to go to the Upperthorpe " slipper " every Saturday morning, queuing up

with the rest of the scruffs from the area. If you were in the bath too long the attendant

would come round banging on the doors to hurry you up. :angry: :)

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Guest binsted71

slipper bath

n

1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Furniture) a bath in the shape of a slipper, with a covered end

2. (Historical Terms) History (plural) an establishment where members of the public paid to have a bath

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A sad story of Corparation Stree Baths. A neighbour who lived in the same yard as my Grandmother lost their only child, a daughter when she drown at the baths. My mother tells me how she went round to pay her respects and was shocked to find the open coffin in the sitting room and the poor mum sat holding the new pair of shoes she had bought her daughter to be buried in.

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That's really sad. I remember that my mother, point blank, refused to take me swimming there. We used Sutherland Road Baths even though Corporation Street was nearer(just). We moved to live on Littledale and I eventually learned to swim at Park and Glossop Road Baths. In the 1950's Firth Park Grammar School sent us on alternative Tuesday mornings ( find your own way there), for two years,to Hillsborough Baths where we were ruled by a bloke called Mr Saviour ( I think that was his name) who made swimming a nightmare for many of us who were unsure about the whole thing! In summer the brave tried Longley open air baths... which was rumoured to be heated...but hypothermia deterred all but the very hardy in anything but a heat wave!

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Hillsborough Baths where we were ruled by a bloke called Mr Saviour ( I think that was his name) who made swimming a nightmare for many of us who were unsure about the whole thing!

I think the swimming instructor was called Mr. Sivior. He had a great big copper ladle on the end of a long wooden pole with which he used to douse non-swimmers to get them used to the water.

Any lad larking about was sure to receive a crack on the bonce from Mr. Sivior's ladle. :wacko:

The foot bath you had to paddle in before he let you into the baths had so much chlorine in it that nowadays it would warrant a full evacuation and a hundred metre exclusion zone.

HD

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Another thing about Corporation Street baths , was after it had been demolished we would pass it on the 47/48 bus. Looking down from the upstairs window I could not believe what a tiny area of land it stood on, almost TARDIS like.

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Guest Coldstreamer

When I was a pupil at Burngreave Boys' Secondary school we had weekly swimming sessions at Sutherland road baths. I lived on Rock Street and some of us lads used to go to Corporation Street baths. We used to have bath tickets - did we get them from school? and paid just a few old pennies with a bath ticket. The pool length at Corporation Street was not a full 25 yards. Even so, when they were demolished I had to wonder just how the pool, boiler house, offices and changing rooms all fitted in such a tiny space. It was always a busy little pool.

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When I was a pupil at Burngreave Boys' Secondary school we had weekly swimming sessions at Sutherland road baths. I lived on Rock Street and some of us lads used to go to Corporation Street baths. We used to have bath tickets - did we get them from school? and paid just a few old pennies with a bath ticket. The pool length at Corporation Street was not a full 25 yards. Even so, when they were demolished I had to wonder just how the pool, boiler house, offices and changing rooms all fitted in such a tiny space. It was always a busy little pool.

We would go to Corporation Street baths every week summer and winter in the 50s. Thursday evenings were best in winter as patients from King Edwards hospital had a tea time session there and the water would be steaming hot.. I don't remember what time they closed but it was after eight, the one attendant had a right job getting us out. A lovely swimming pool not 20 yards long and only 5 feet deep at the far end. On the way home we would call for a bag of chips at the old coal fired chip shop on Harvest Lane. A good night out, all for a few old pennies. W/E.

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On 03/04/2014 at 03:03, mickjj said:

A sad story of Corporation Street Baths. A neighbour who lived in the same yard as my Grandmother lost their only child, a daughter when she drown at the baths. My mother tells me how she went round to pay her respects and was shocked to find the open coffin in the sitting room and the poor mum sat holding the new pair of shoes she had bought her daughter to be buried in.

As was said above, a sad story, but a cousin of mine who became a fine swimmer was taught to swim, or so I am told, by being put in to the water on his own as a new born baby and he just swam. Anyone else heard of this please?  I taught myself at Park Baths, in those days young kids could just jump on a tram or bus and go to the baths on their own, when very young the oldest lad was often told to look after the rest but there were plenty of attendants / life guards to watch us and occasionally clip our ear holes.

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On 30/03/2012 at 17:49, binsted71 said:

slipper bath

n

1. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Furniture) a bath in the shape of a slipper, with a covered end

2. (Historical Terms) History (plural) an establishment where members of the public paid to have a bath

I presume this is what they would have looked like. (Photo taken at Watermouth Castle)

DSCN0042 (copy).JPG

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I spent many happy hours at Park Baths. Used to go most Saturdays, though I learnt to swim at Woodthorpe Baths. I went to Pipworth Road school and started to go to Woodthorpe baths in the last year of Junior school and carried on through my senior school. Eventually Woodthorpe baths opened to the public so I went there to swim instead of Park but Park Baths holds a place in my heart.

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