How one community's love kept historic baths alive
BBCWhenever news emerges of the restoration of Moseley Road Baths, social media is flooded with comments from people who reminisce fondly of swimming there as children.
Work on the Grade II*-listed building in Birmingham's Balsall Heath has been underway since 2023, as part of a £32.7m restoration of the swimming pool and neighbouring Balsall Heath library.
It follows decades of campaigning to save the historic pool, which dates back to 1907, and is now run by a charitable organisation.
"The love of coming here from the community sort of kept it alive really," said Simon Piaia, the National Trust project manager overseeing the restoration.
Richard Brice, a project manager from construction company Galliford Try, said there was "massive community spirit" behind the project.
He told the BBC that the building was opened before Balsall Heath was even part of Birmingham, and was in fact created to entice the area to formally join the city.
"They wanted to entice Balsall Heath to join Birmingham so really it was no expense spared," he said.
"They were really showing off these buildings [which] were originally a gift to the city of Balsall Heath to join the city of Birmingham."
The funding for the project includes £10m from Birmingham City Council, £9.2m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £15.5m from the government in levelling up funding.
Piaia says that while it is a huge investment, the work will last forever and keep the memories of its visitors alive.
"You don't have to go very far in Birmingham [and] someone says 'oh, I learnt to swim there' or 'my children learnt to swim there'," he said.
As part of the renovation, the two buildings will be connected and a mezzanine floor will be built into the library to meet the needs of the community.
The Gala Pool will be fully restored and a new accessible ground-floor public viewing area created, while the site's second pool will be converted into an event space.
While many will be eager to take a swim in the pool once it reopens, some might be surprised that they will also be able to take their very own bath.
Brice told the BBC: "The building was originally a wash house as well as a public swimming bath, so we've actually got the baths restored."
The cast-iron baths are not completely original, as they were replaced in the 1950s, but have been kept safe so they can be reinstalled during the renovation, alongside the site's glazed tiles.
Piaia said the baths were trialled in 2023 and 40 people visited to take a bath at the venue for a "quirky heritage experience".
However, for others, it was something even more special.
"An elderly lady and her daughter came from Erdington and the elderly lady had lived in a care home and she hadn't had a bath for you know about eight years.
"She was able to bathe with her daughter in a setting that she remembers so fondly [...] and it's those memories within this building that just make it so special."
The library is set to open in summer 2027, while the baths will reopen at some point between the end of 2028 and the start of 2029.
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