Page 31 - link magazine

Swindon Wide

As you might expect from
A plaque for the Health Hydro was decades ahead of its time, Victorian baths, the sexes were
combining leisure and wellbeing
facilties with medical provision, segregated, with men swimming
housing consulting rooms and a in the main pool, and the smaller
modern dispensary. pool, which is currently out of use,
Thanks to the boarding-over of reserved for women and children.
the pool, the building was also The debate over the future of
adapted for other uses over the the Health Hydro has highlighted
years, including a makeshift hospital people’s concern over the handling
in the First World War, a concert of heritage, and the blue plaque
venue, a rollerskating rink and to is a chance for them to turn their
host dances. passion into something positive.
It is nationally important because And it will go hand-in-hand
By Graham Carter of Swindon our railway roots for the next one. it was the headquarters of the with planners’ new vision for the
Heritage magazine “It is of national importance GWR Medical Fund, which would town's future, which now sees old
The Health Hydro is back in the because of its links with the birth have a key role to play in the buildings as an asset, rather than a
news - but this time for all the of the NHS, but it also has huge formation of the NHS, providing a liability.
right reasons. significance in local history. blueprint for the health revolution According to Forward Swindon, in
Controversially earmarked, earlier “And there couldn’t be a better that followed World War Two. their released Masterplan Review
this year, for conversion into flats time to put it back on the map, Although commonly assumed to and Delivery Plan: “Expectations
by current occupiers, Greenwich with this year marking the 125th be a result of the benevolence of the of Swindon will only be fulfilled
Leisure Ltd, the former Milton Road anniversary of its opening.” railway company, the baths, like the when the town’s internationally
Baths, which opened in 1892, is the Along with the extension of the Mechanics’ Institute, were actually significant heritage quarter is
latest focus of Swindon Heritage’s Mechanics’ Institute in the same down to the vision and co-operation perceived to be fully restored and
blue plaque scheme. year, the baths saw the completion of the workers themselves, financed making a dynamic contribution.”
We've launched a crowdfunding of the social development of New by the Medical Fund they paid into. To donate to the Health Hydro
page to raise the £400 required to Swindon, where workers had access However, the materials and the blue plaque fund, visit www.
cast and install a plaque on the to facilities that were far better skills to put the building up came crowdfunder.co.uk/blue-plaque-for-
building - the fifth in the series. than their counterparts in other from the Works, including the bricks, the-gwr-medical-fund-hq-baths
Project manager Noel Beauchamp industries or other towns and cities. trusses for the roof, and magnificent Crowdfunding pages for two
said: “Our first four plaques, In a period when most of stained glass windows and doors, further plaques, honouring
which honoured a pioneering Britain’s workers had no access to designed by a Mr Rice, an employee Swindon-born author Ralph Bates
suffragette, two war heroes and a permanent washing baths, let alone in the Works. The water was and Sam Allen, the first manager
film star, underlined the breadth of swimming baths, in Swindon they supplied via a tunnel that ran from of Swindon Town Football Club,
Swindon’s amazing heritage, but could even enjoy Turkish baths. the Works, under the Railway Village have also been set up. See www.
we thought it was time to return to The concept of the new building and into the basement. swindonheritage.com for details.

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