Swimming Baths

Byker Swimming Baths, Newcastle upon Tyne

Public swimming baths and wash house built in 1907 and incorporated into the sheltering perimeter block of the Byker Estate in the early 1970s by Ralph Erskine's Arkitektkontor, with Vernon Gracie as site architect.

The building is constructed of red brick with ashlar dressings and has pitched slate roofs with large glass skylights. It is mostly two storeys with one single storey bay.

The main south elevation is divided into three distinct sections. The east end comprises three bays formed by three cross gables, each with a row of cross windows at first floor and a row of blocked openings to the ground floor. These are linked by a narrow single storey bay to a central section of four bays containing segmental arched entrances for men and women with large windows to each side. The second bay projects at first floor level and features a cross window in a half dormer, with mullioned windows to either side. The west end of the building is blank, with seven large recessed panels between brick pilasters terminating in a tower.

The rear north elevation is mostly plain, with mullioned and cross windows, seven large recessed panels, and a tall tapering chimney. Several original openings have been blocked. The east gable has a row of mullioned windows and a Byker stair attached, apparently added to house the reception for the official opening of the estate by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1974. An aluminium flue is attached to the adjacent section of the perimeter wall.

The interior was not inspected but is believed to have housed the original heating plant for the Byker estate.

Shipley Baths form an integral part of Erskine's original design concept for Byker, in which existing public buildings were incorporated into the new scheme. They have strong group value with the adjacent buildings and form visual contrast within the design.

The Byker area was first extensively developed in the 1890s. From the late 1950s it was earmarked for redevelopment due to a new motorway planned to the north. In March 1967 the Housing Architect's Department proposed a barrier block to shelter the area, a concept that was supported by Ralph Erskine when he was invited to develop the area for Newcastle Corporation in 1969. His Plan of Intent, published in 1970, promised a complete redevelopment programme of housing and landscaping with cost yardsticks, while maintaining the traditions and character of the neighbourhood and rehousing residents without breaking family and social ties. His achievement in rehousing 40 per cent of the original residents on the original site was exceptional, as were his methods of keeping the community informed of development and seeking their support and suggestions for the low-rise housing.

To achieve these goals, Erskine exploited the south-facing sloping site, developed a system of pedestrian routes through the estate, and provided a specific local individuality to each group of houses. The estate was redeveloped in a rolling programme of no more than 250 units at a time to maintain the community's infrastructure. The sheltering perimeter block protects the estate from traffic noise and creates a microclimate, with low-rise housing in its lee.

The modular metric facing brick of 290mm by 90mm by 65mm was developed by Crossley and Sons in County Durham in collaboration with the City of Newcastle. When mortared, it forms a 12-inch by 4-inch by 3-inch unit.