Victoria Baths campaigner in bid to save historic pools

Victoria Baths received money from BBC TV's Restoration series

A new campaign has been set up to protect historic swimming baths across the country.

Historic Pools of Britain wants indoor and outdoor pools to be recognised for their roles in local communities.

It is headed by Gill Wright who has led the campaign for 12 years to save Victoria Baths in Manchester.

"We aim to give a national voice to historic pools all over Britain and build a picture of the state of the nation's swimming heritage," she said.

'Too expensive'

In December, more than 95% of 3,330 people who answered a consultation request backed reopening the Broomhill open-air swimming pool in Ipswich.

The 50m pool with diving boards and a children's pool opened in 1938, but was closed by owners Ipswich Borough Council amid claims it was too expensive.

In east London, Haggerston Baths, which has been boarded up for 15 years and is among the 10 most-threatened Victorian buildings, was put up for sale in June by Hackney Council.

Pools at risk

• Broomhill Pools - East Anglia's only listed lido (except Peterborough) and Modernist-style public building left in Ipswich.

• Greengate Baths - a derelict Grade II listed building in Salford and one of the earliest public baths still in existence in Great Britain.

• Haggerston Baths - resembles an Edwardian baroque manor house these baths in Hackney, London closed in 1998.

• Moseley Road Baths - An Edwardian baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, described as being equally as important as Victoria Baths in Manchester.

The campaign will document the historic swimming pool buildings in the UK as no central database or archives exist.

It also wants to engage in joint campaigning and lobbying, funding applications for threatened pools.

Ms Wright was at the forefront of the campaign to save Victoria Baths in Manchester which won £3.4m in the BBC TV's Restoration series in 2003.

She said the baths still needed more money to complete the restoration plans.

Moseley Road Baths has a wealth of architectural features

Greengate baths in Salford was among a list of the top ten most endangered buildings in the country

Haggerston baths was put up for sale by Hackney Council

Broomhill Open Air Swimming Pool is one of the pools that form part of the campaign