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Glossop Road Swimming Baths

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Hello fatrajah,

Sorry but I have to correct you on a couple of points you have raised.

1) The mixed pool was not 7 feet at the deep end but 13 feet 6 inches - my friend and I use to swim in the school gala's and my friend use to go in for the high board diving event due to being good, anyone diving off the high board into 7 foot of water would have come to some grief no matter how good they were.

2) The mens pool was 25 yds and its deep end was 5 feet 6 inches - I use to spend most of my time there having a free pass which I won at junior school for being the best boy swimmer in the school over a yearly period.

 

Hello John Habs,

I think you & I are going to have to agree to differ. As I remember it, the top board was only about 8 feet high, so 7 feet would have been adequate for an experienced diver. Also the water looked, to me, nothing like as deep as 13 feet 6. The top board at Heeley baths was only slightly lower with a 6 feet deep end, so 7 feet at Glossop Road would be about right.

I read somewhere that soon after the mixed pool opened, someone suffered a fatal head injury from striking the bottom of the deep end after diving from the top board. This surely could not have happened with a water depth of 13feet 6.

About the mens pool: to me it looked noticeably shorter than other pools, but looked wider than the normal 10 yards. By the way, did you ever swim at Corporation Street baths? They were about 17 yards long & rather grotty; once was enough for me.

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Hello John Habs,

I think you & I are going to have to agree to differ. As I remember it, the top board was only about 8 feet high, so 7 feet would have been adequate for an experienced diver. Also the water looked, to me, nothing like as deep as 13 feet 6. The top board at Heeley baths was only slightly lower with a 6 feet deep end, so 7 feet at Glossop Road would be about right.

I read somewhere that soon after the mixed pool opened, someone suffered a fatal head injury from striking the bottom of the deep end after diving from the top board. This surely could not have happened with a water depth of 13feet 6.

About the mens pool: to me it looked noticeably shorter than other pools, but looked wider than the normal 10 yards. By the way, did you ever swim at Corporation Street baths? They were about 17 yards long & rather grotty; once was enough for me.

 

 

hiya. it seems the two of you are at cross purposes in respect of the top splash in the big bath as we would call it it was slightly higher than the walk around verandha which was a good few feet above the pool/dance floor, i also remember the swimming clubs of the late 40s as i belonged to one it was called broompark misssion in the boys bath, there was croft house on a friday and the otters on tues or wednesday,in the big bath.as for the breadth at school lessons in the boys bath we would easily plunge the distance.the board with the cocoanut matting was as i remember was the same both sides 1 step, the first bigger splash, another step then the top splash this was around 4ft, the only vending machine was a brylcream dispencer on thewall near the footbath and shower, every time i think of it it sendsshivers through me no warm regulator then.

Edited by willybite

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hiya. it seems the two of you are at cross purposes in respect of the top splash in the big bath as we would call it it was slightly higher than the walk around verandha which was a good few feet above the pool/dance floor, i also remember the swimming clubs of the late 40s as i belonged to one it was called broompark misssion in the boys bath, there was croft house on a friday and the otters on tues or wednesday,in the big bath.as for the breadth at school lessons in the boys bath we would easily plunge the distance.the board with the cocoanut matting was as i remember was the same both sides 1 step, the first bigger splash, another step then the top splash this was around 4ft, the only vending machine was a brylcream dispencer on thewall near the footbath and shower, every time i think of it it sendsshivers through me no warm regulator then.

 

Hello willybite,

Thankyou for your comments. If you look on the picturesheffield website, there is a rather blurry photo of the mixed pool looking towards the deep end. If the guy standing to the right of of the diving boards is a six-footer, then the top board is at most 9 feet high & slightly below the veranda. The showers in the mixed pool were on the wall at the deep end. There were also some glazed pottery foot rests to assist in getting feet clean. I was told by the attendant (a little fat bloke called Roy) on more than one occasion to get my rather dusty feet clean before I could get in the water.

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hi fatrajah, have read your last post re: Glossop Road Swimming Baths, I have responded before to one of your posting regarding same....... you most certainly have your facts wrong.

What I said in my earlier responce to your posting still stands.

I dont think there's anyone on S/F who knows Glossop Road Baths better than myself, not only did I use to visit all the 3 baths on a regular basis being a very competent swimmer and swimming not only on a private basis but in all the school gala's, but also lived just down the street from the baths.

1) As said before - the mens baths had a 3 level diving platforms, its deep end was 5'6" and the length of the pool was 25yds.

2) The mixed bathing pool had a 2 level diving platform and a spring board - the high board was just under the balcony...so it was quite high, the deep end was 13'6" and the length of the pool was 331/3yds long.

As regards you read somewhere that someone dived off the top board and sustained a fatal head injury in the mixed pool -that is wrong.....it was in the mens pool that happened and the reason I know is due to the fact that it was a young lad who was in my class at Springfield Junior School.

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hi fatrajah, have read your last post re: Glossop Road Swimming Baths, I have responded before to one of your posting regarding same....... you most certainly have your facts wrong.

What I said in my earlier responce to your posting still stands.

I dont think there's anyone on S/F who knows Glossop Road Baths better than myself, not only did I use to visit all the 3 baths on a regular basis being a very competent swimmer and swimming not only on a private basis but in all the school gala's, but also lived just down the street from the baths.

1) As said before - the mens baths had a 3 level diving platforms, its deep end was 5'6" and the length of the pool was 25yds.

2) The mixed bathing pool had a 2 level diving platform and a spring board - the high board was just under the balcony...so it was quite high, the deep end was 13'6" and the length of the pool was 331/3yds long.

As regards you read somewhere that someone dived off the top board and sustained a fatal head injury in the mixed pool -that is wrong.....it was in the mens pool that happened and the reason I know is due to the fact that it was a young lad who was in my class at Springfield Junior School.

 

thank you john habs i too went to the same school as you 1943/1953 and we went to the baths every week for i suppose 5 years and remember our swimming instructor(s) mr allen and mr price these two were teachers at the said school,mr blatherwick (sam) just before he retired,.then mr wall.

on a friday evening in the lads bath we went to broompark mission club odd times a door was left open in the corner near the shallow end leading into the mixed pool ( croft house s/c) we would sneak in.

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Glossop Road Swimming Baths,

 

I am trying to find out if anyone has information regarding - The Sheffield / Attercliffe Dolphins.

 

It was a swimming team that my Grandmother ( Doris Hartley ) was part of in the 1920s / 1930s when she was living in Attercliffe.

 

I have tried to find out information but so far i haven't been able to locate any information, so any help would be more than welcome.

 

Sincerely

 

Jamesh2o

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I went to St Stephens school (St Philips Rd) and we were taken to Glossop Rd baths for lessons. On the way back we would call in Butlers pie shop for a dripping crust which went down very well after the swimming lesson. I did my bronze medalion for life saving at these baths, but went to Springfield School for what they then called "land drill" which was part of the life saving exam. I hated going to the slipper baths which were upstairs from the ladies entrance. Sometimes the baths weren't very clean and the duck boards you stood on were very slimey ugh! I also remember standing on the top diving board and looking down - petrified - but my friends were behind me so I had to go. I seemed to be going down forever - never again.

 

Hi Choirgirl, I also went to St Stephens school from about 1958 - 1964 and well remember the trips to Glossop Road baths where I learnt to swim - we walked along Fawcett Street, up St Phillips Road onto Gell Street and across to Glossop Road. I remember a very stern lady used to walk along the side of the pool with a long pole in front of you - just out of reach. I too remember standing on the top board but never daring to jump let alone dive. (Never did learn to dive in). Butler's Cafe penny dips (dripping crusts) were the highlight after swimming. I thought about it only the other day when I passed Butler's Balti House and wondered if it's the same family who runs it. I remember playing with the girl who lived at the cafe - they had chickens in the back yard (fascinating). I only remember a few names from St Stephens - headmaster Mr Cotton (scary), teacher Mr Hessey (lovely bloke), George Baldwin (lived on Summer Street), John Taylor, Barry Hartley (my first boyfriend), Susan Robinson (my best friend), John Hacket (my second boyfriend, lived on Edward Street Flats and sent me my first Christmas card from a boy), Steven Woodward (came from a large family as I recall). My name was Jean Cottam and I lived on Mushroom Lane . Some of my happiest days were spent playing round Weston Park Museum, the Ponderosa which we called the tip and the boating lake in Crookes Valley Park. Also remember playing with a lad whose dad ran the Boomerang pub on Fawcett Street. Happy days :)

Edited by COTTY

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yes indeed. I went there in the 40's they taught swimming by putting a rope around our middle and walking up and down the length of the pool and then eventually they just threw us in.

Certainly remember the wooden changing rooms.

When i was 16 i decided it was time to enter The Turkish Baths. An experience I thouroughly enjoyed and have never forgotten

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Hi Choirgirl, I also went to St Stephens school from about 1958 - 1964 and well remember the trips to Glossop Road baths where I learnt to swim - we walked along Fawcett Street, up St Phillips Road onto Gell Street and across to Glossop Road. I remember a very stern lady used to walk along the side of the pool with a long pole in front of you - just out of reach. I too remember standing on the top board but never daring to jump let alone dive. (Never did learn to dive in). Butler's Cafe penny dips (dripping crusts) were the highlight after swimming. I thought about it only the other day when I passed Butler's Balti House and wondered if it's the same family who runs it. I remember playing with the girl who lived at the cafe - they had chickens in the back yard (fascinating). I only remember a few names from St Stephens - headmaster Mr Cotton (scary), teacher Mr Hessey (lovely bloke), George Baldwin (lived on Summer Street), John Taylor, Barry Hartley (my first boyfriend), Susan Robinson (my best friend), John Hacket (my second boyfriend, lived on Edward Street Flats and sent me my first Christmas card from a boy), Steven Woodward (came from a large family as I recall). My name was Jean Cottam and I lived on Mushroom Lane . Some of my happiest days were spent playing round Weston Park Museum, the Ponderosa which we called the tip and the boating lake in Crookes Valley Park. Also remember playing with a lad whose dad ran the Boomerang pub on Fawcett Street. Happy days :)

 

Steven Woodward was my unlce who sadly passed away aged 44

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Steven Woodward was my unlce who sadly passed away aged 44

 

OMG How tragic to lose him so young. He was a lovely lad and I bet he was a lovely bloke. I hope you have some happy memories of him. xx

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OMG the death toll rises! i went to Hunters bar junior school 1954-1960 during that time my class walked down from hunters bar to glossop road once a week for swimming lessons I seem to recall that one of the pupils collapsed and died one week as we walked round to the changing rooms

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Part 1 of 6.

I was rather puzzled by the differences of opinion in this thread about Glossop Road Baths & so I have belatedly done a bit of investigation to clarify matters & unearth a few (hopefully) interesting facts about the baths' history. Part 2 to follow.

 

---------- Post added 31-10-2014 at 15:59 ----------

 

Part 2 of 6.

Firstly, I paid a visit to the Local Studies Library to have a look at the plan of the baths dating from 1895 when the baths were up for sale. The plan shows a building which was rather different from the one we all remember. About half the plot was taken up by "Baths Buildings" which were shops & flats fronting onto Glossop Road. Where the later ladies pool, reconstructed 1898, was, there was a 40 feet by 30 feet pool dating, probably, from when the original baths were built in 1836. This pool was described as miserable & dungeon-like in the local press at the time the baths were purchased by Sheffield Corporation. Part 3 to follow.

 

---------- Post added 31-10-2014 at 16:07 ----------

 

Part 3 of 6

The mens pool, opened 1878 to replace one of the 1836 pools, was shown as being 26 yards by 10 yards with a semi-circular deep end. This was certainly not the case in the late 1950s when I was a regular swimmer there. The semi-circular part must have been filled in at some point giving a pool length of 21 yards at most. This agrees with my recollections of the pool's size. This work was probably carried out in conjunction with the construction of the first-class pool. Strangely enough, the mens pool hall was used to stage plays with the audience being seated in the empty pool & the performance taking place on the boarded-over semi-circular part.

Part 4 to follow.

 

---------- Post added 31-10-2014 at 16:14 ----------

 

Part 4 of 6

Secondly, I trawled through the local newspapers of the time. I found that the first-class pool was opened in July 1910 & was built on the site of Baths Buildings. The only dimension given was that the new pool was 100 feet long. However, there was an incident in 1911 when an unfortunate swimmer was pinned to the bottom of the deep end in 7 feet of water by a water polo net that had slipped. This agrees with my recollection of the depth of the deep end. Interestingly, the opening of the new pool coincided with the introduction of mixed bathing for the first time in Sheffield though it seems that only married couples were admitted.

 

---------- Post added 31-10-2014 at 16:21 ----------

 

Part 5 of 6

In general, pools built in the late 1800s to early 1900s lacked both filtration & chlorination plants. The pools were drained, cleaned & refilled weekly. This resulted in "clean water days" & "dirty water days" the latter being a couple of pence cheaper. It was also a feature of pools of that time that the deep ends were relatively shallow, typically 6 or 7 feet. This did not deter the pool designers from specifying potentially dangerously high diving platforms.

 

---------- Post added 31-10-2014 at 16:26 ----------

 

part 6 of 6

Finally, in an attempt to show that potentially dangerously high diving platforms were a common feature, I have found a couple of photos on the picturesheffield website; photos t00413 & t06985 illustrate this quite well.

 

I did try to submit these replies all in one go but the website wouldn't let me. I don't know why those smilies are there; the dates are 1898 & 1878 respectively.

Edited by fatrajah

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