NORD Architecture

Glasgow Corporation provided a comprehensive array of service for its citizens, from dance halls to health centres. By building a huge number of public baths, pools and washhouses the Corporation promoted health and hygiene. For many people without hot running water, bathtubs in individual cubicles for personal washing were much needed. Baths and washhouses were often an adjunct to a public library or hall, as at Parkhead, Glasgow, providing a clear example of the City’s paternalistic sense of social responsibility. The bath houses often, though not always, incorporated swimming pools for further health and enjoyment.

Typically, there would be two or three pools of different sizes within the building, for men, women and children. Around the galleried top-lit pools were the changing cubicles. The building could also contain a washhouse, or steamie, providing hot tubs for washing clothes, and large mangles and driers. The steamie was a great place for women to socialise while doing the family’s laundry, a fact underlined by the play of that name. Many Glaswegians continued to use bathing and laundry facilities up until the mid 20th century and even later.

Very few of these buildings now survive in Glasgow, or even Scotland as a whole.Due to maintenance issues and changes in social habits, baths and wash houses have become steadily redundant and latterly derelict.

In the 1980s, the pools, though still well used, were superseded by leisure centres and the problem arose as to what to do with existing buildings.

The washhouse of Govanhill Baths was converted to a launderette in 1971 and later became a gym. The pools closed in 2001.

Govanhill currently has a population of 8,500 people, around 20% of whom are from black or minority ethnic communities. 7.5% are unemployed but only 42% are economically active. Recent high profile concerns have highlighted the lack of amenities for children and young people, lack of employment opportunities, and the poor state of the environment, drug misuse and increase in racist incidents. In many ways Govanhill is representative of the problems facing inner city communities across the country.

NORD Architecture are currently working on the regeneration of the building and the restoration of the three existing pools with the introduction of new mixed use programme including Turkish Baths, fitness suite, healthy eating cafe, crè che and roof garden. With careful planning it is expected that the regeneration project will deliver a building that is physically and culturally sustainable.