Victoria Baths
About
Victoria Baths is Manchester's most magnificent derelict building — a stunning Edwardian swimming pool complex that closed in 1993 and won the first series of BBC's Restoration programme in 2003. The building is a masterpiece of decorative tile work, stained glass, and Edwardian civic ambition, and the ongoing (but slow) restoration reveals new details with each phase of work. The building opens for regular open days and events — guided tours, vintage fairs, craft markets, and occasional swimming sessions in the Turkish Baths pool (when restoration phases allow). The guided tours are fascinating, taking you through the three original pool halls, the Turkish baths, and the first-class changing rooms with their private cubicles and original fittings. It's a building that inspires genuine emotion — the faded grandeur, the ambition of the original builders, the community campaign to save it. Check the website for upcoming open days and events. The building is on Hathersage Road in Longsight, about 15 minutes from the city centre. If you love architecture, social history, or just beautiful buildings, this is unmissable.
https://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/ 0161 224 2020
Tickets & Pricing
Guided tours from £8. Events vary. Check website for upcoming open days.
Opening Times
Open days and events only — check website for schedule. Tours typically run monthly.
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