Nine Elms Baths – Major Championship Bath – Battersea 1901
Nine Elms Baths, the Championship Baths. Public Libraries – Battersea District Library – Richard Shaw (1994). Beautifully ornate.
Nine Elms Baths
Nine Elms Baths were in the Renaissance style of architecture, plainly treated and had a frontage to Battersea Park Road of 137 ft (leading into Nine Elms Lane) and a depth to Cringle Street of 226 ft.
It was built of stock brick with red-brick facings and Portland-stone dressings to the numerous mullioned windows. The plan was dominated by the huge 150ft by 50ft swimming bath required by the baths commissioners, parallel to Cringle Street. This had galleries all round, and was intended in winter for public entertainments, accommodating nearly 1,500 people on two levels. There were reading rooms, gyms and club rooms.
Nine Elms Pool Championship Bath – Battersea. Just see Battersea Power Station at end of Cringle Street. Info from Public Libraries – Battersea District Library – Richard Shaw (1994)
The swimming bath was a wide clear water space, being the largest covered swimming bath in England.
Nine Elms Baths was frequented by most of the London Swimming Clubs, and predominantly used for Galas.
The depth of the water at the shallow end is 3ft 6ins and at the deep end 6 ft 6ins.The Bath holding 200,000 gallons of water. The walls of the pond were constructed of cement concrete lined with asphalt, the sides being faced with white glazed bricks, and the bottom with white and blue glazed flat bricks forming an ornamental pattern.
A gallery formed on three sides of the baths hall supported by cantilevers, and the roof is is constructed with circular steel trusses of ornamental design . There was a large central lantern light.
Read more…Woodcock Street Baths Birmingham…another Championship TV Bath
Nine Elms Baths also comprised of six men’s first class slipper baths, 32 men’s second class slipper baths, three womens first class slipper baths, nine women’s second class slipper baths, public wash-houses and ironing room, establishment laundry, boiler house and engine room. All centrally heated with radiators, and the laundry and ironing room having beautiful wood blocked flooring.
Nine Elms Baths hosted political meetings. It was often referred to as the People’s Hall being also popular as a boxing venue. It was during the winter that the pool was covered over, and the hall used for other meetings and entertainment for up to 1,500 people.
OUTCOME: In the 1930s Nine Elms Baths were living on borrowed time. Structural problems arose in the balconies. Demolition of the galleries and balconies took place in 1956. In 1964 the site was under threat for redevelopment. Nine Elm Baths were reprieved until 1970 due to plans not transpiring. They were demolished in 1971. Lesser buildings occupied the site until giant re organisation and building was underway.
This building occupies the former site – due for demolition in 2012. Compare the architecture to the Baths.
Same aspect as above – present day 2020. Corner of Nine Elms Avenue and Cringle Street pointing towards the old Battersea Power Station. Will expand +
The Nine Elms area is undergoing a massive transformation. To cast one’s mind back to the origins of when the baths were built providing wash houses and baths for the residents of the area, at the same time becoming a leading championship bath where many swimming events were held and a focus venue for other sports and people mixing and ‘getting together.’ Nine Elm Baths was a real community hub, and it will become hard to realise and imagine how it once used to be.
Site of Nine Elms Baths Geo reference 1949 – 69 map. Will expand to full view. ++
So good to have the history of the Nine Elms pool. My primary school was in Vauxhall and we were walked to the pool for our swimming lessons – whatever the weather! I remember the changing rooms being pretty cold so you got dressed very quickly and walked back to school with dripping wet hair down our backs. However, we all learnt to swim and thinking back, now I realise the size of the pool no wonder it was a challenge to swim a length!