Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells, Bristol, will benefit from a grant of £56,895 from Historic England that will see emergency repairs made to the Grade II Listed building.
The works, which have recently begun, will prevent further deterioration of the external fabric, including the roofs, gutters and downpipes, and high-level masonry, in preparation for a phased repair scheme to begin later in the year. The funding will also support surveys of the high-level stonework to inform the main repairs.
Built in 1889 to serve the working poor, Jacobs Wells Baths is a striking Grade II listed building comprising a central swimming pool, lantern roof, side blocks, boiler house and large chimney. The exterior is ornate and features terracotta dressings, and the pool itself occupies a large central space beneath a semicircular steel truss roof.
The pool survives beneath a sprung wooden floor dating to the building’s conversion to a dance studio in the early 1980s. Water for the baths came from the nearby Jacob’s Well spring and was heated in the boiler house, whose elegant cast iron columns support a vast water tank above.
The vision is to develop and deliver a regeneration scheme in keeping with the venue’s dance heritage which will see the centre reopening as a vibrant community arts hub to include much-needed youth provision and services.
Corinne Fitzpatrick, Conservation Architect for the Saving Jacobs Wells project, said:
“Historic England’s grant comes at a critical time for the building, enabling us to undertake remedial works before starting the main repairs. This emergency phase will prevent any further damage that may increase costs to future phases, and gives us the opportunity to carry out further investigations of the external fabric at height to give us greater cost certainty as we enter the main works phase. This is a great way to start such a major project and lay the foundations for the next planned steps.”
Rebecca Barrett, South West Regional Director at Historic England, said: “We’re pleased to be one of many partners working to give Jacobs Wells Baths a bright new future. By halting further damage to the building and getting important surveys done now, we hope our investment will give the project the best possible start”.
Jacobs Wells Baths in the Clifton Conservation Area faced an uncertain future until Trinity Community Arts and the local Hotwells & Harbourside Community Association launched a joint campaign to save the space and reinstate it as a community arts hub. The much-loved community asset was listed as ‘At Risk’ by SAVE Britain’s Heritage in June 2023 due to its dilapidated condition.
Following a conditional leasehold offer in August 2023, Trinity Community Arts began a series of detailed surveys and carried out some urgent works to the north roof to prevent rapid water penetration, a result of the building being vacant.
Trinity Community Arts has since secured £1m from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Community Ownership Fund, and £400,000 in match funding from local trusts including Nisbet Trust, the John James Foundation and other funders keen to support recovery efforts.
The vision is to bring the building back into use in 2025 as a home for dance and community activity and to continue renovation plans. Anyone interested in supporting the project can donate via the Fundsurfer appeal.
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