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Summary

Description

Robert Morham, 1898. Rectangular-plan, castellated with Baronial details, swimming baths with 3 battered corner towers linked to smaller ancillary wing, built into sharply sloping site. Predominantly red bull-faced sandstone (Glenogle Road); droved cream ashlar sandstone to S (Saxe-Coburg Place) elevation. 3 corner towers; base course; dividing band courses; coped parapets.

N (GLENOGLE ROAD) ELEVATION: ancillary wing adjoining main building to outer left. Main building: 3-storey, 9-bay flanked by 4-stage towers. Towers; battered; round-arched roll-moulded doorways flanked by slit windows; hoodmould to doorway and windows; decorative 2-leaf iron gates single round-arched hoodmoulded window at 1st stage; 3 round-arched windows at 2nd stage; 2 decorative gun-loop openings at 3rd stage; machiolated cornice with stone parapet above; pyramidal roof.

S (SAXE-COBURG PLACE) ELEVATION: grey bull-faced sandstone; blocked openings at ground; 8 round-arched openings at 1st floor; parapet above. 3-stage bull-faced red sandstone tower to outer left. Cream sandstone ashlar arcaded curtain wall adjoining to right; steps down to pedimented round-arched gateway.

W ELEVATION: near-symmetrical; towers flanking advanced canted bay with round-arched windows; towers detailed as above.

E ELEVATION: ancillary pump and boiler wing; brick stack (see below); irregularly disposed openings. STACK: located to E of Glenogle Road entrance; circular-section red brick stack with octagonal base; ribbed crown. Predominantly 8-pane hopper windows with 4-pane fixed windows below. Shallow-pitched grey-green slate roof with glazed ridge panels to pool.

INTERIOR: (seen 1993). Blue and white ceramic tiles or bricks to pool; brass handrail; ceramic spittoons; cast-iron columns and decorative capitals; gallery and clearstory; iron balusters with timber handrail to stairs; 2 "Norton's Patent" turnstiles; yellow and green/brown ceramic tiled dado to hall and stairs; open timber roof to gym.

Statement of Special Interest

Glenogle Baths, latterly 'Swim Centre', is an important example of a later 19th century public baths, designed in a castellated style and incorporating the latest up to date conveniences for this public amenity. The building is very prominent and a significant addition to its streetscape, with an overtly fortified elevation to Glenogle Road in red sandstone to one side and a contrasting cream coloured ashlar, classical elevation to correspond with the terraced early 19th century town houses in Saxe-Coburg Place.

Swimming clubs and bath houses were established in Scotland from the 1850s following the enactment of the 1846 Act to Encourage the Establishment of Public Baths and Wash-houses, which was established to improve general public health with access for all classes of citizen. With the rapid expansion of urban population, often living and working in unsanitary conditions, bath and wash houses were seen as essential public services. The Act, which affected the entirety of Britain, encouraged local authorities to open up these facilities in areas of dense population. While men and women did not mix at these facilities, women would have had their own separate entrance, however they would have to attend at certain times when the male pools were not in use. It would not be until the 1870s when separate ladies pools were being considered in bath and wash house design. These bath and wash houses soon started to cater for recreational swimming rather than washing and became a hugely popular social past time during the 20th century.

William Harley was the first to offer indoor baths in Glasgow, at Willowbank in 1804. Swimming became widely popular as a sport during the late 19th century as more residences in the UK gained access to mains water supply and could therefore wash and bath at home.

Robert Morham was an Edinburgh architect, first articled to David Rhind remaining with him for five years before transferring to the office of David Bryce (circa 1859). About 1862 he moved to London to widen his experience and spent four years with William Eden Nesfield, although there is little sign of his influence in his architecture. In 1866 he returned to Edinburgh as principal assistant to David Cousin and was briefly his partner until Cousin's retirement in 1873. He then succeeded Cousin as City Superintendent of Works.

List description updated as part of the sporting buildings thematic study (2012-13).

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