Victoria Baths Gala/First Class Males Swimming Pool
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Victoria Baths Gala/First Class Males Swimming Pool by David Dixon as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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Victoria Baths Gala/First Class Males Swimming Pool
Image: © David Dixon Taken: 16 May 2017
The widest of the three Olympic-length pools at Victoria Baths was the Males 1st Class pool, also known as the Gala Pool because it was used for special events such as swimming galas etc. Segregation in swimming and bathing both by gender and by class was normal procedure at the beginning of the twentieth century. Where an establishment had only one or two pools, segregation would take place by giving each class of user a different day of the week. At Victoria Baths, there were three separate entrances, separate swimming pools and separate wash baths for Males 1st Class, Males 2nd Class and Females. In 1906, it cost 6d to use the 1st Class facilities compared to 4d for the 2nd Class. As well being used for swimming competitions, the main pool was emptied and a protective floor installed every year when dances were held during the winter months.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
53.460192
Longitude
-2.216689