Jacob Wells Baths in Bristol gets £56k towards repairs

Trinity Community Arts took on a 35-year guardianship lease of the site in 2023

More than £50,000 has been granted for emergency repairs on a building once home to a Victorian public baths.

Jacob's Wells Baths in Hotwells, Bristol, opened in 1889 when it was used as a bathhouse for the poor, and closed in the late 1970s.

Trinity Community Arts has taken on a 35-year guardianship lease of the site.

Project leaders said Historic England's £56,895 donation "comes at a critical time" before the main repair work begins.

Work and surveys to prevent further deterioration of the external parts of the building have already begun, in preparation for a phased repair scheme to begin later in the year.

Trinity Community Arts aims to renovate the building and reopen it as a dance and community arts centre by 2025.

The public baths closed in the late 1970s

The former bathing pool is now underneath a sprung wooden floor dating back to the building's conversion to a dance studio in the early 1980s.

Water for the baths came from the nearby Jacob's Well spring.

Conservation Architect for the Saving Jacobs Wells project, Corinne Fitzpatrick said this "emergency" phase of work will prevent any further damage "that may increase costs to future phases".

The building was listed as 'At Risk' by SAVE Britain's Heritage in June 2023 due to its dilapidated condition

"Historic England's grant comes at a critical time for the building, enabling us to undertake remedial works before starting the main repairs," she said.

"This is a great way to start such a major project and lay the foundations for the next planned steps."

The building was listed as 'At Risk' by SAVE Britain's Heritage in June 2023 due to its dilapidated condition.

Work to prevent further deterioration includes fixing roofs, gutters, pipes and high-level masonry

Rebecca Barrett, south west regional director at Historic England, said the rebuild is aimed at giving the site "a bright new future".

"By halting further damage to the building and getting important surveys done now, we hope our investment will give the project the best possible start," she said.

Trinity Community Arts has also secured £1m from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' (DLUHC) Community Ownership Fund, and £400,000 in match funding from local trusts including Nisbet Trust, the John James Foundation and other funders.