Glasgow, 75-89 Whitevale Street, Public Baths And Washhouse

Public baths built by the Glasgow Corporation in 1901. A preliminary photographic survey was completed in March 2001 during the survey of a neighbouring industrial building. At the time, the baths were disused, and the future of the buildings uncertain.

Information from RCAHMS

MKO 2001

Presumably by City Architect's office under A B MacDonald. Opened 1902. Big symmetrical front with arched wide openings at 1st floor, pilasters to bays, 2-storey wings, 3-storey centre with 2 doors, gabled centre, shallow advanced ends; red brick; most glazing original; parapetted wall-heads; modern tile roofs. Ranges to rear, top-lit swimming baths. Range to Millerston Street tall and gabled with brick chimney stalk. (Historic Scotland)

Whitevale Public Baths and Wash-house was opened on 17 May 1902 at 81 Whitevale Street by Lord Provost Samuel Chisholm. Unusually the facility included a reading room which was a branch of the city's Libraries Department. It was provided from funds left for the purpose in the will of John Rankine.

Whitevale also differed from other baths in the city in that it contained a Turkish bath and a gymnasium. There were sixty-six washing stalls in the wash-house, which could be hired for tuppence (less than 1p) per hour. There was seating for 520 people and standing room for 250 more in a gallery around the men's pool. Ingeniously, the swimming pool could be drained and lined with seating to convert the space into a rudimentary concert hall, increasing the capacity of the men's pool as a temporary public hall to 1,500 people. (Glasgow City Libraries Information and Learning)