'More than a pool': Meet the team at Bramley Baths keeping Leeds' history alive
As part of the Yorkshire Evening Post’s new Heritage Heroes series we’re recognising those who are keeping the city’s stories alive for future generations. Today we speak to the team behind Bramley Baths and how it is more than just a pool, it’s a piece of living history.
At the heart of its community since 1904, Bramley Baths is not just a swimming pool - it is a living piece of Leeds history.
Now the last remaining Edwardian bath house in the city, Bramley Baths was originally built as one of eight public bath houses designed to improve health and wellbeing following outbreaks of cholera.
More than a century on, it remains in continuous use, evolving with the times while holding firmly onto its heritage.
“We’re really passionate about keeping it going and saving it for the community and for the city of Leeds. It’s pretty special.” said Helen Whiteley, Business Development and Heritage Engagement Manager at Bramley Baths.
When it first opened, local residents came to wash, swim and socialise.
The building housed 20 slipper baths, 16 for men and four for women, costing anything from six pence for a luxurious hot bath to two pence for a basic wash. The Russian Steam Baths, fashionable among wealthier Edwardians, were a key attraction.
The baths were built on the former site of the Globe Foundry, once owned by William Bottomly, where iron, brass and mill machinery were produced. Today, the building’s iconic chimney, constructed using 8,000 Kirkstall bricks, still towers over Bramley.
Inside, many original features remain intact, including the oak reception box, stained glass windows and decorative tiling throughout. That sense of continuity has helped Bramley Baths remain a constant in local life, even during some of the city’s toughest moments.
During the Depression of the 1920s, the pools were emptied, but rather than closing, a dance floor was installed, allowing the baths to continue as a social hub.
Over the years it has served as a decontamination centre, hosted wrestling and roller skating tournaments, and from the Second World War through to the 1960s became well known across Leeds for its dances, galas and swimming lessons.
Helen said: “There’s lots of stories hidden in the walls and in people’s collected memories.”
That living heritage was formally recognised in 2023, when Bramley Baths received a Blue Plaque from Leeds Civic Trust, celebrating its social, cultural and architectural significance.
“It was kind of like a badge of honour really,” she said.
“We were really proud to receive it. The city recognised how important the baths are.”
More recently, the baths secured a £639,375 development grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, marking the first phase of its #MoreThanAPool project.
The funding will help scope and prepare the wider £4.1m restoration project, ensuring the building, its original features, and vital services are sustainable for the long term.
“It’s to make sure that we can still be here in another 120 years,” said Helen.
“There are some really stunning original features throughout the building that need attention, and we’re also looking at environmental initiatives so we can be financially and environmentally sustainable going forward.”
Today, Bramley Baths is firmly established as a community hub and health and wellbeing provider, hosting a wide range of activities and organisations.
Helen said: “It’s a real anchor for a lot of people. It’s very firmly established in people’s lives in this part of Leeds.”
When asked who the real heritage heroes are, Helen pointed not to individuals, but to the community itself.
“We did a community share offer called Raise the Roof,” she said.
“Over 500 local people bought shares, raising over £370,000. That’s a real testimony to how much people wanted to invest in it and keep it going. In our case, it would be fair to say the local community are the heritage heroes.”
Looking ahead, she hoped Bramley Baths would continue to draw people from across the city while remaining rooted in its neighbourhood.
“We want to continue to innovate and continue to thrive for the next 120 years, really,” said Helen.
And for anyone with memories of the baths, whether they learned to swim, met a partner, danced the night away or built a career there, she had a simple message:
“Come and see what we’ve got going on. We are definitely more than a pool.”
The Yorkshire Evening Post teaming up with partners across the city -led by Leeds-based heritage consultancy Wafer Hadley - to help shape and develop a new heritage framework for Leeds.
As part of a special series of reports shining the spotlight on our city’s very own Heritage Heroes. We’re showcasing those people in the heart of our communities across the city who preserves, champions and inspires others to ensure each place’s story continues to be known, understood and cherished.
To nominate a group or individual to feature in this series email [email protected] to feature.