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6248

Swimming

Newcastle City Baths

54.977261, -1.610740

Newcastle

Opened:

1928

Closed:

Open

Condition:

Home Teams/Clubs:

Last Updated:

23 Jun 2022

HER Description

The City Hall (HER 6265) and Baths were built in 1928 by C. Nicholas and J.E. Dixon Spain. Neo-Georgian design with a colonnaded entrance. City Hall and Public baths. 1928. Designed by Nicholas and Dixon-Spain.

Steel framed, brown brick with ashlar and red brick dressings, and slate hipped roofs. Ashlar plinth. Northumberland Road, front two storeys and 25 windows. Central entrance block, 7 windows with slightly projecting 3 window centre topped by a large pediment with circular window. 3 round headed arches with panel pilasters, rusticated ashlar and above a deeply moulded band. Above 3 glazing bar sashes the central one with a moulded ashlar surround and brackets supporting a flat hood. Set-back on eitherside, a rusticated ashlar and above a deeply moulded band. Above 3 glazing bar sashes the central one with a moulded ashlar surround and brackets supporting a flat hood. Set-back eitherside, a rusticated ground floor with small barred basement windows and above single glazing bar sashes. Upper floor has single glazing bar sashes. Outer bays, set back again, also have glazing bar to each floor. 9 window side wings are similar, each has tall ashlar Doric portico with central columns between flanking antae, which project slightly in front of further antae topped by a heavy entablature and parapet. Set back on eitherside are blank walls, with further blank walls beyond. Above 5 square windows with moulded surrounds, set back on eitherside are single small square windows, and further single windows beyond all topped by a coped parapet. College Street front, 2 storey, 11 window front. Central, slightly projecting, 9 windows articulated with giant Doric pilasters, with ashlar bases and red brick dressings. Bays 4 and 6 have doorways with double panel doors and bolection mould surrounds, the remaining ground floor openings are square with plain stone surrounds. Above the doorways are tall panels with red brick surrounds. Above a thick ashlar band and 9 windows with moulded ashlar surrounds and bracketed cills, the central 7 openings have glazing bar cross casements and the outer ones are blind. Above a dentilated entablature with brick frieze and panel parapet above.

Set back at eitherside a single bay, with double panel doors and bolection mould surrounds, above a single glazing bar sash to each floor with red brick surrounds and above a plain entablature. John Dobson Street front is similar with giant Doric pilasters supporting an entablature and panel parapet, with 3 large round headed doorways with moulded ashlar surrounds and large keystones, at the centre and over bays. Between 3 square windows on eitherside with plain ashlar surrounds, and above 9 square windows with moulded ashlar surrounds. At rear a tall tapering octagonal brick chimney stack with ashlar moulded cap. INTERIORS. City Hall has marble lined foyer with 3 round arches at either end, with mahogany and gilt fans, and between 2 urn shaped lamps. The north wall has 3 similar arches with double panel doors, and the south wall has 3 similar arches with double panel doors, and the south wall has 5 similar entrance arches with double glazed doors and fanlights. Deeply coffered plaster ceiling: Eitherside are staircases with metal balustrades with wave mould decoration. Hall is rectangular with narrower raised stage to north, and a large gallery with extended curved sides to the south. Gallery front decorated with rosettes, panels and wave moulds. Deeply coved ceiling above dentilated cornice, with elaborate coffered centre.

Behind the stage a later organ in an eighteenth century style case. Public Baths have rectangular foyer with round headed plaster openings and deeply moulded coving, and groin vaulted corridors. Mens bath has large rectangular tiled pool, and cantilevered viewing gallery around 3 slides with curved metal railings with Greek-key pattern, stepped wooden decking and wooden rails

Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey, 1947

'Sketches of The Coal Mines in Northumberland and Durham' T.H.Hair, published in 1844

City Hall & Baths, 1930. Source: Newcastle Libraries

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'Sketches of The Coal Mines in Northumberland and Durham' T.H.Hair, published in 1844

Interior of City Baths, 1920s. Source: Friends of City Baths

Historic Environment Records

Durham/Northumberland: Keys to the Past

Tyne and Wear: Sitelines

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HER information as described above is reproduced under the basis the resource is free of charge for education use. It is not altered unless there are grammatical errors. 

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