Baths and Wash-Houses Department

• Reference:GB 243 D-BW
• Dates of Creation:1898 - 1956
• Name of Creator:
  Glasgow Corporation: Baths and Wash-houses Department
• Language of Material:English
• Physical Description:
  0.40 Linear Metres (4 volumes; 1 file; 11 items)

• Scope and Content

  D-BW1: Photographs of baths and wash-houses, undated (c1920)

  D-BW2: Presscutting books, 1898 - 1956

  D-BW3: File of notes, correspondence, posters and press cuttings concerning the development of public baths and wash-houses in Glasgow, 1900 - 1937; Commemorative brochure on the opening of Whitevale Baths, 1902.

• Administrative / Biographical History

  In 1866 the police authority in Glasgow obtained powers to establish public baths and wash-houses in the city (Glasgow Police Act 1866, 29 & 30 Vict., c.273). The corporation appears not to have done anything else in regard to the erection and equipment of bathing establishments until 1869. The first such establishment, Greenhead Baths, replaced a former public wash-house on Glasgow Green and opened in 1878. Most of the baths also had facilities for washing clothes and were known as wash-houses (or the ‘steamies’). By 1975, when the department transferred to Glasgow District Council, it was responsible for 26 public baths.

  The following baths and / or wash-houses were run by the Corporation (their opening dates are in brackets):

  London Road Swimming Baths (pre-existing; GC took over in 1876)

  Greenhead (1878)

  (North) Woodside (1882)

  Cranstonhill (1883)

  Townhead (1884)

  Gorbals (1885)

  Maryhill (1898)

  Springburn (1898)

  Ibrox (1901)

  Kennedy Street (1899)

  Kinning Park (1902)

  Whitevale (1902)

  Partick (1914)

  Govanhill (1916)

  Govan (1925)

  Whiteinch (1926)

  Pollokshaws (1927)

  Shettleston (1929)

  Drumchapel (1966)

  Bellahouston (1968)

  Castlemilk (1969)

  Knightswood (1970)

  Easterhouse (1972)

  Temple (1972).

  The above list was supplied with information found in 'The Glasgow Encyclopedia' compiled by Joe Fisher and the dataset relating to Glasgow Swimming Pools provided in McLauchlan, Anna (2017) 'Glasgow’s swimming pools 1804-2014', which is available at http://archive.researchdata.leeds.ac.uk/132/.

• Access Information

  Open

  Access restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives for further information

• Other Finding Aids

  Descriptive list available at Glasgow City Archives

  Database of photographs available at Glasgow City Archives

  Digitised photographs (D-BW1) available to view on the Virtual Mitchell website (www.mitchelllibrary.org).

• Conditions Governing Use

  Application for reproduction should be made to the Archivist

• Related Material

  Govanhill Baths Community Trust Archive includes photos of the baths before it came into community ownership as well as a minute book of Govanhill Amateur Swimming Club, 1935 - 1968. The archivist can be contacted at: Govanhill Baths Office, 126 Calder Street, Govanhill, Glasgow, G42 7QP, T: 0141 433 2999 & E: info@govanhillbaths.com.

• Bibliography

  'Municipal Glasgow: Its Evolution and Enterprises' (Glasgow Corporation, 1914), pp.95-99.

• Corporate Names

  Glasgow Corporation; Baths and Wash-houses Department; 1895-1975