Haggerston Baths

Details

WHISTON ROAD 1. 5013 TQ 3383 30/701 Haggerston Baths II

2. Public baths, 1904 by A.W.S. Cross for Shoreditch Borough Council in Edwardian Baroque style. Soft red brick in English Bond, with Portland stone dressings, slate roofs. Single swimming pool, men's and women's slipper baths, some removed, annexed laundry and chimney. Impressive south elevation. Central pedimented section of 5 bays, 3 bay wings, slightly set back, to left and right; 4 bay wing arranged 1:2:1 to left, the central section set forward and emphasized by sweeping concave quoins. Two storeys, cellars and attics. Stone quoins, moulded stone entablature with dentil cornice, central pedimented section has ashlar basement with central round-headed window with eared architrave and a bay-leaf dripmould, flanked by men's and women's entrances. Each an open pedimented doorway with cartouche bearing lion motif in relief. Doors now blocked. First and fifth bays have cellar openings from pavement level with scrolled keystones and metal grilles above which are oculi with fancy scrolled architraves. Stone string course between ground and first floors. First floor loggia, distyle in antis of paired columns with Ionic capitals; first and fifth bays defined by stone quoins abutting pilaster with Ionic capitals flanking loggia. To left and right, windows of similar proportions to those in the wings, have stone architraves incorporating bracketted cills and margin glazing bars with central side hung openings. Full height glazed openings with stone architraves set in brick screen wall behind loggia. Central opening has door under shallow bracketted stone hood. In tympanum, round-headed window with eared architrave in stone, flanked by stone relief panels with reclining female figure. Shallow balcony railings. Cupola with Ionic columns and leaded dome, set on square tower to rear of pediment has gilded ship finial.

Flanking wings have sashes with glazing bars, gauged cambered heads with stone keystone, moulded stone cills above plain brick aprons. Entrance beneath small 3 x 3 light glazed window with similar head, to left bay of each wing. 3 lead checked dormers, with casements replacing former sashes to each wing. Brick stacks with oversailing caps above. Similarly detailed wing to left has some altered brickwork. Tall parapet to central section. Rear elevation, relates to central pedimented front elevation. Brick with stone dressings, similarly detailed to front, with repaired brickwork. 5 bays beneath pediment. Ground floor, first, third and fifth bays of ashlar, the outer two with paired panelled doors beneath stone keyed heads. Three plain stone rondels in shallow relief above. Central entrance now blocked to cill height as window, beneath bracketted open pediment which breaks through stone string course between storeys.

First floor. Central bay has full height metal-framed window with eared architrave and divided with an upper light; flanked by a pair of stone pilasters with Ionic capitals, between which is a tall recessed brick panel beneath blind oculus and all beneath a segmental pediment containing rectangular opening with stone architrave, the pediment breaking forward from the main cornice. First and fifth bays breaking forward at upper storey, defined by stone quoins. Second and fourth bays have window similar to that to centre. All have shallow railings. Single storey additions to left and right, that to west containing laundry with glazed north light roof. Tall brick chimney to north west, with banding and stone brackets at top.

Interior

Single bath now divided to form small learning pool at north end. 8 bay steel-framed roof of curved members between which are 3 panelled sections to each side of longitudinal top-lit glazed roof. Original amphitheatre setting with changing cubicles above was replaced probably 1960's. Slipper baths, replaced 1930's survive to women's section to right. Men's baths removed to create training area. Former foyer reordered, removing ticket office. 1980's refurbishment to left. Original panelled doors survive to upper floors. Old Lancashire boilers-remain in basement, now superceded, with former adjoining workshop. Historic Buildings Report, London Borough of Hackney, 1988.

Listing NGR: TQ3387383577

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

426702

Legacy System:

LBS

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