Old Levenshulme Baths on Barlow Road. Image by Six57.

Petition launched to save former baths

A derelict pool where one of the first women to swim the English Channel trained must become a heritage site, according to a campaigner trying to stop its demolition. 

Levenshulme Old Baths on Barlow Road closed when its replacement at the £9.1 million Arcadia Library and Leisure Centre opened in 2016.

However, with spates of vandalism, arson and the threat of bulldozers looming over it, local resident Cat O’Brien has started a petition to preserve and restore the original 1921 building. 

“Living in Levenshulme has offered me a window into a world of potential lost to time,” she said in a post on Change.org

“Our neighborhood, once bustling with beautiful, historic architecture, has suffered the fate of neglect, with valuable sites either abandoned or converted into fast food outlets.  

“However, over the years our community has demonstrated resilience.  

“With success stories like the old library and the old train station [Station South], new life can indeed to brought back to these cherished places.  

“Now, it’s time to focus our efforts on the Levenshulme Old Baths! 

“Without action, this historical gem risks being demolished, much like other underutilized structures in the area.  

“By seeking its official designation as a Heritage Site, we can ensure the preservation and necessary restoration work it requires, in line with its sister establishments in Withington and Victoria Baths.” 

Levenshulme, Withington and Victoria Baths were all designed by Henry Price, the then-Manchester Corporation’s ‘City Architect’, who was also responsible for what is now the People’s History Museum. 

It is also where Sunny Lowry – a second cousin of artist LS Lowry – built up stamina for her numerous long-distance swims, including traversing the English Channel from Cap Gris Nez to St Margaret’s Bay in Kent. 

Although the Carnegie Library across the road has been repurposed as a community arts space since its original closure, the pool has been left to decay, with a fire in October 2023 destroying much of the roof and causing the temporary evacuation of nearby homes. 

Historic England, the organisation that oversees the UK’s list of heritage buildings, says that anybody can recommend a building to join its register. 

Levenshulme has one of the lowest concentrations of listed structures in Greater Manchester with just three appearing on the National Heritage List for England: St Mark’s Church on Barlow Road, St Peter’s Church on Stockport Road, and the former St Andrew’s Church facing the Shell garage further south along the A6. 

Levenshulme Old Library. Image: Six57

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