Govanhill Baths: Past, Present and Future
In Issue 6 of Greater Govanhill, we delved into the past, present and future of the neighbourhood, and the Govanhill Baths is right at the centre of that. What are you memories of the baths? What is happening behind the scenes right now? And when will Govanhill Baths reopen?
Read on to find out more, and enjoy the striking photographs of the restoration, all taken by Becky Duncan of Open Aye CIC.
The Past
By David Doren
The Calder Street Baths (later known as Govanhill Baths) had a large mixed bathing pool, a women’s and infants pool, and a small private pool which was rented out for parties and used as a training pool. There was also a Turkish baths with a steam room and sauna which were predominantly used by men. Many tenement homes were still without an inside bathroom so, people from surrounding areas would come here to make use of the baths and showers.
Some weekends in the 1960s, my parents would take us to have a splash about in the big mixed pool. It was a noisy and busy space, with adults and children running around the rim of the pool, diving or jumping in. I couldn’t swim but I could doggy paddle for Britain in the shallow end of the pool. As I got older, I would progress to using bright orange coloured water wings, venturing further up the pool towards the deep end. It could be very perilous, as you dodged all these different swimmers diving in or heading down the fast lane.
‘The Steamie’ was attached to the back of Calder Street baths in Kingarth Street. It was a very busy place, with women bringing huge bags of laundry to be washed in large tubs/basins. This was a women’s domain in those days, and no man would dare to enter without good reason, as the place would fall deathly silent and all heads would turn in their direction. Those stares could put the fear of God into any man.
I remember my mother putting our clothes into pillowcases, and larger items onto a bedsheet, then tying a knot with all four corners. These impromptu laundry bags would be taken downstairs from our third floor flat and put on top of my pram, which was kept in the close.
The steamie was across the road and a block away so, it wasn’t too far for me to walk alongside the pram. Inside I would scramble onto a chair, along the back wall of the building and I would play quietly until my mum had finished doing her washing. If one of the children became too boisterous, we would be picked up and put into one of the empty steel sinks until we had calmed down
It was very hot inside the building, with steam billowing all around. There was a large machine with heavy turning rollers, which the women would push the sheets through. They’d come out the other side, crease free and ready for two women to fold into squares. All the while, the women would be talking away about their lives, families, problems and more importantly catching up on the gossip. With the sheets folded and put neatly back on the pram, we would head off home.
For more on the history, see pick up a copy of 99 Calder Street: A History of Govanhill Baths and Washhouse by historian, Bruce Downie. Available to purchase from www.govanhillbaths.com
The Present
By Becky Duncan, photographer in residence
The Govanhill Baths project is big.
The physical footprint of the building is big, in relation to the streets around it. But the actual development is big, too. A multi-million pound renovation project, painstakingly preserving original stonework and motifs whilst installing a state of the art community facility. But, I think, bigger than both of these, is the movement behind the project. The Govanhill Baths Community Trust is a collection of grassroots campaigners, thinkers, doers and makers, coalesced around this amazing space. They are, quite literally, shifting the ground, raising the roof and rebuilding a hub fit for their locale.
When Community Land Scotland asked me to take photos of Govanhill Baths in 2021, I was delighted. When Govanhill Baths asked me to document their development regularly I was honoured. I feel it's a privilege to be in the building, witnessing its changes, capturing the altering scenes and responding to the visual memories of 100 years of history.
There’s the iconic red and white of the main pool, currently housing green sludge, theatre scenery and a crumbling mezzanine. The changing room walls still have poetry on them. Graffiti tells tales of love, lust, music, politics, religion and race. There’s old wood and retro wallpaper at the back of the steamie. Desolate machines in the basement, with soggy bouncy floors and rats nests behind blue doors. There's obvious changes: a new roof here, a skylight there, sunshine and shadows making new marks on old raised bobble tiled floors. Upstairs, where the slipper baths were once cemented into place, neat piles of rubble are topped with pick axes. A ladder rises out of the solitary bathtub in the corner.
I am regularly shown round the site by Tam, a builder who knows every corner and all that goes on. Tam is local too & still lives in Govanhill. He tells me he looks forward to his grandchildren using the baths, like he used to. When the baths are done he says he will retire. Tams last work project is quite the legacy.
The Future
By Katherine Midgley, heritage learning programme coordinator, Govanhill Baths Community Trust
We are so excited to be able to welcome the community into the baths again. When the building reopens as a Wellbeing centre in 2023, it will have two swimming pools, a gym, Turkish suite, dance studio, community kitchen/cafe, and much more. Our amazing wellbeing programme and People’s Pantry will also find permanent homes inside the building.
All of these facilities were chosen by the local community, reflecting the fact that the baths wouldn’t have survived without the commitment and energy of the people of Govanhill. In addition to all this, we have commissioned a range of permanent art installations from both world-famous and local artists, commemorating the importance of art in the occupation of the baths, and ensuring that local people have access to top-quality artwork for generations to come.
We will be employing as many staff as possible from the local area, ensuring that all information is presented in multiple languages, and providing community-specific events and facilities. For example, we are extremely excited to launch both women-only and LGBT-only swimming sessions, which are really in-demand locally. The baths will be back at the heart of the community, as they have been since 1917.
Finally, we wouldn’t be Govanhill Baths without our amazing history. The reopened building will have a permanent place for our archive, as well as an arts and exhibition space. People will be able to come and visit, learning more about the history of their community whilst also sharing their own stories of this amazing place.
We hope you are as excited as we are to get inside the baths again. United We Will Swim!