Fleet Street

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 19 Mar 2016

On the right is the inner bypass, Park Parade. On the left is the Old Baths. The Corporation Baths Image were opened in 1870 at a cost of £16,000. 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. 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. In winter 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 http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/history/baths.htm. The building was closed in the 1970s. In 1975 it became Grade II* listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1067992?section=official-list-entry. In 2014 the building was acquired by PlaceFirstLtd and work began to transform it into 21st century business hub. At 19:30 on Saturday 19th March 2016 a free event unfolded outside the baths. The "New Beginnings" event combined digital projections, choreographed dancing, and a thematic soundtrack telling the story of Ashton Old Baths through interwoven audio-visual acts in an action packed 45 minute display.

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