When it opened in 1906, Victoria Baths in Manchester, was described as "the most splendid municipal bathing institution in the country" and "a water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud."  

At the time of opening, few of the houses in the area had bathrooms so its 'wash baths' were an important amenity.

There are 3 entrances to Victoria Baths; Males 1st Class, Males 2nd Class and Females which each lead to their own pool.  Water would be pumped into the first class pool, recycled first into the men’s second class pool and finally the ladies’. Men who could not afford the most expensive tariff would swim in increasingly dirty water while women were effectively treated as 3rd class and permitted only to bathe in the muck of others!

On the day before the weekly change of the water, so-called 'Dirty Day' due to the rank state of the water, entrance was cheaper and it was the busiest day of the week.

The council couldn't justify the expense of keeping the Baths and it was closed in 1993.  However, after raising £5 m it was partially restored and has now been reopen again for a number of years.

It was closed today so I was only able to get a blip from the outside but I've visited the Baths a few times to attend various events and guided tours.  My overwhelming memory of it is watching a promenade performance of Romeo and Juliet.  We followed the actors around the 3 pool areas and when we reached the last pool, it caught my breath as it was the most visually stunning piece of theatre I have ever seen.  Juliet was lying (supposedly now dead) on an enormous gothic cross in the middle of the pool surrounded by tea lights, flowers and incense burners whilst the most beautiful monastic music played in the background. The imaginary has yet to be surpassed!

Quote for today:
This life is like a swimming pool. You dive into the water but you can't see how deep it is.
- Dennis Rodman