Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past Wirral Now and Then Hoylake Baths

Do you remember when?
Do you have a storey to tell of days gone by in the picture?

Here is what the place used to look like in its heyday:



Here is what it looks like today:

omg, how different, its such a shame the way buildings and facilities are left to go to ruin, then demolished....

Yeah, i think it was during the 70's and 80's, a time when investment in such things was very low, just like other places like Liverpool and New Brighton for instance.

Its nice to see that it has had money spent on it now, it is very beatuiful and quiet around there nowadays.

Tis a crying shame it's no longer baths though

Disappearing history that's what its all about these topics.
As i never new those baths were ever there.

Good pics Matty

bloody hell that well dif good find mate

I really hate to upset you all but those later pics are not of the Hoylake Baths Site....I can post new pics as proof as I know Hoylake (I did live there for nearly 20 years). THey are of nearby gardens etc but NOT the baths site.

Sorry :-)

Hehe ill trust your judgement. Isnt there actually supposed to be two sites for the baths anyway as they were built again in 20's?

The Hoylake swimming baths were opened in Jun 1913. Towards the end of the 1920's it was decided to rebuild the baths at a cost of 25,000 UK Pounds. The new baths were opened in 1931. In 1976, the Hoylake Pool and Community Trust took over the running of the baths after Wirral Council had closed them down. Unfortunately, the venture failed and the buildings have since been pulled down. All that is left is a grassed over area, where it has been proposed to build a new lifeboat station.

The new pics above are not the baths site as in the B/W Pic...
Though I did not know the baths was demolished to be rebuilt ...I am interested to see if it was on the same site or not though......Thank you for info about that.

My mission now is to find out more...

make it so mr scudo.... we all await ur find with baited breath...

The Hoylake Baths Site as it is now....

Local word is that the develepment in progress will be the new Lifeboat Station...

BR
Andy

Yeah, I went past there (well, where I think you mean) on Wednesday and its all fenced off now, the diggers are already in lol.

so they digging up that pool part ?

No, thats the boating pool.

didnt even know there was a boating pool

I thought there were baths in New Brighton? Or were there two different ones? I went to the NB ones in 1992. I always wonder where they used to be.

It usually has swans in, it's about 200 yards left of the fort thingy.

Tnhey used to be next to the boating pool methinks (where the ditch is with the fence around it)

the ones in new brighton were next to the boating lake, like u said. the site is now used by quad bikes and motorcross riders...

they should get their heads sorted instead of building stupid monuments or whatever they`re called and build a new bathing pool instead.

new brighton has 2 open air baths,

1. at the site mentioned above, next to the marine lake.


2. The Derby Pool, Theres a restaurant there now Suprisingly called "The Derby Pool"

Hasnt the Derby Pool changed its name now to summit like The Harvester etc...

Also, I been told that its not actually at the site of the Derby Pool, its a fair bit further away from New Brighton/nearer Leasowe then the actual location of the pub.

The derby pool is still called the derby pool, but it used to be a "brewers fayre" and now its a "Harvester"

From what I can gather that was the site of the baths, it gets reffered to as Harrison Park baths alot.

wow, i didn`t even know there were baths there?

Yep there sure were

Hoylake outdoor swimming pool - aerial 1970s & the site in 2006

Wow,there is no change apart from the baths buildings have gone.

In the 1950s the baths where known has Harrison Drive baths. where did the Park come from?. Then you walked along to Hoylake baths and then if you where dead fit you walked along to West kirby and there was an area within where the small sailing boats are, that was roped off with small buoys and that also was a baths.The super fit lads had started at New Brighton baths and had had a dip in all 4 once they had got to West Kirby. Then you got the train home to Birkenhead.

I have to admit that i went to the Hoylake baths once in the mid 70's (ish), the only thing i can remember is that the water was so cold that there was a high chance of icebergs !

I remember Hoylake Baths well. The Death Slide was fantastic and it had spring boards! Have to agree with Historybook, it was freezing!

www.oldwirral.com has got pictures of the Death Slides

http://www.oldwirral.com/hoylake_lido.html

Nice one mate!

regarding the pics posted i used to go to the baths in the 70 s and they were further along than the bowling green and park but on the land that now as the lifeboat station on it and the sea water filling tank which was concrete is still there and been turned into a boating lake/paddling pool hope this helps

I remember going in Hoylake baths as a child. The square of grass that the new lifeboat station is on now was the main swimming pool. The currant location of the boating pool was the children's pool. when its empty which it often is you can still see the blue and orange paint on the bottom from when it was the pool. you can also make out where there where raised island things where that had water coming out the top. Beside the the children's pool at the very end was a sandpit for kids with a wall built around it to make it look like a castle. My mum would never let me in because vandals had smashed bottles and the glass was all in the sand.

Re: The Derby Pool baths. A while ago, when we were in the play area of the The Derby Pool pub, we looked over the fencing and you could still see the remains of the pool. Cant remember now exactly what we seen other than the changing rooms! Wish I had taken a photo now! Will have a look this week-end.

Regarding my previous post, just checked it on Live Earth and what was left has now gone, sorry! But if you look at it on Live Earth in bird's eye view, the remains of the baths were to the left of the pub looking towards the river mersey.

Hoylake beach 1957

My dad says he has colour photos from our outings to Hoylake baths when I was a child in the late 70s early 80s. Getting him to atchelly dig them out though will be a long drawn out affair. I will post them up if there's any interesting ones when I eventually get my hands on them.

My recollection of the boating lake differs somewhat to what has been printed above. The boating lake at the end of the war had motor boats which later went to West Kirby Lake, later canoes. Looking at the boating lake (never a holding tank, they were behind the swimming area!)to the left and adjacent to the baths wall was a concrete bunker were the petrol and oils was kept for the motor boats. The boating pool was filled from a pipe attached to the bathing pool pumps and the children's paddling pool was to the right of the boating pool and held a small concrete structure which represented the Isle of Man.

As I have mentioned before my dad has photos taken in the baths in the late 70s early 80s. So far I have only managed to get hold of one. I know its not very good but it gives a bit of an idea what some of it was like. Taken in August 1979. Yes that is me

It appears to be taken in the shop or the cafe looking out to the pool. You can make out the perimeter wall has a muriel to fool you into thinking you are on a tropical island not Hoylake.



Here is the poster enlarged. The prize money is a bit crap by todays standards.



Hopefully I can get hold of some better ones once he has got them all scanned.

This wasn't inside the baths, it was inside meols parade gardens

all i can remember is the lady bird summer we had ...