Manchester’s historic Victoria Baths has been refilled again ahead of a public swimming event this weekend. The Big Splash will take place from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 September at the Grade II-listed building in Chorlton-on-Medlock, with plenty of family fun in store.
Victoria Baths is now more commonly used for events including cinema screenings, the Indy Man Beer Con beer festival and raves, so it’s not often that the public have the opportunity to see the stunning Gala Pool filled for swimmers. This will be only the fourth time since 1993 that it had been filled for public swimming sessions, and is part of the Heritage Open Days initiative.
Making for a unique swimming experience, filling the Gala Pool with water and heating usually takes four days - roughly 96 hours - and takes 407 cubic metres of water to fill the pool, which works out as the equivalent of 1,500 baths, just for a bit of perspective.
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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News ahead of the opening this weekend, Ella Walker, Victoria Baths' engagement officer, said: "The Big Splash weekend is a great opportunity for us to fill our swimming pool up again. We say 'we are often rippling with history, but rarely rippling with water', so it's nice to have some water in the pool.
"It's only the fourth time since 1993 that we've been able to have the pool filled, and this is the first time since 2019, plus it's our 116th birthday today, so we couldn't have chosen a better week to do it. It's really great to see it being filled with water today."
Filled with the support of United Utilities and the Bath’s team of volunteers, swimming sessions will begin on Friday evening, followed by a delicious three-course, plant-based supper whipped up by The Sri Lankan Experience and served in the former Males Class Pool. While tickets for the supper club and swimming sessions are sold out for Friday, a number of sessions are still bookable via the Victoria Baths’ website.
Early birds can jump in on Saturday and Sunday for lane swimming, which takes place from 8-9am, and can even head over to the Tea Room for some post-swim refreshments. Entry to Victoria Baths is free but swimming sessions cost £16.
After the serious swimmers have finished up, the fun really starts. Pink flamingo floats will be out in action, and visitors - if they so wish - are encouraged to join in on the fun with fancy dress - there’s likely to be some Edwardian swimming outfits knocking about as well, so look out for some vintage-inspired swimming caps. Some sessions are still available between 9.30am and 4.15pm, with tickets available at £16 a piece.
Whilst some visitors make a splash, there’s also a lot of activities taking place for the national Heritage Open Days festival. On Saturday and Sunday from 11-4pm there will be guided building tours, at an additional cost, plus the history exhibition will be open and the viewing balcony over the Gala Pool will be ready and waiting for visitors.
In keeping with Heritage Open Days’ theme of Astounding Inventions there will also be a talk on Saturday at 12.30pm called The Astounding Aerotone, which will blow some myths about this mysterious device formerly used at the baths.
All the swimming, or just mooching around the pool can certainly build up quite the appetite, and fortunately the volunteer-run tea room serving up hot drinks and pastries will be open. On top of this, Ancoats own Hip Hop Chip Shop will be on site serving up hearty helpings of its acclaimed fish and chips from their food truck outside.
The family fun also continues with a free Kids’ Art Trail throughout the building, a play area for the younger children in the Tea Room, and a Make, Do and Disco run by Our Kids Social on Sunday - tickets for the latter can also be purchased on the website. Non-swimmers are welcome to enjoy and take part in all of the activities with entry to the building completely free throughout the weekend.
The Big Splash weekend is Victoria Baths’ biggest fundraiser of the year, and all money raised from swim tickets will go toward ensuring the building stays open as a cultural venue and community resource going forward. The swim and supper club event is also a fundraiser for the Gill Wright Memorial Fund - in memory of a much-loved member of the team, which funds history, community, art, and restoration projects at Victoria Baths.
For more information on the swimming session, guided tours, and family activities taking place this weekend, visit the Victoria Baths website.
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