Hugh Mason House a.k.a. Ashton Old Baths

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 4 Aug 2014

The Corporation Baths were opened in 1870 at a cost of £16,000. The building is constructed almost entirely of brick, with some stone decoration. It was built in a Byzantine style and has a 120 feet high tower which housed the flues from the steam boilers and heaters. The main pool was 100 feet long and 40 feet wide and used mainly by male bathers, with a three hour period on Thursdays reserved for ladies. In the eastern section of the building was a smaller pool, 27 feet long and 15 feet wide, for the use of female bathers. During the winter months, when the main bath was closed, the smaller pool was used by men and women at different times. There were also private bathrooms and Turkish baths. Part of the building was used as a police station and a station for one fire engine. Between November and March each year, the main pool was covered over with a wooden floor, built on wooden supports placed on the bottom of the pool. The room was then used as a skating rink, concert hall and meeting room. The skating rink measured 116 by 50 feet with a raised stage area at one end. When chairs were set out, the ground floor and the spacious gallery could seat more than 4,000 people. http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/history/baths.htm The building was closed in the 1970s. In 1975 it became Grade II listed. http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-212657-hugh-mason-house-ashton-under-lyne The listing has saved it from demolition but even as part of the St Petersfield development area Image a new use for it has yet to be found. In the foreground is the Ashton Munitions Explosion Memorial Image Image

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