Public Baths

The building is a public baths constructed in 1859. It was engineered by Geo Wilson Stevens, and may have been designed by Paxton and Stokes. The Crossley family donated the building to the people of Halifax, alongside the nearby People's Park. Built in the Classical Revival style, the baths are constructed of coursed stone with ashlar dressings, slate roofs, and feature a tall ashlar chimney stack.

The ground floor is articulated with pairs of Doric pilasters resting on a rusticated base and supporting a full entablature. The upper floor features slightly projecting piers with panels above the pilasters, and sits above a moulded cornice. The main, east front has 13 bays arranged in a 7:3:2 configuration. A projecting two-storey section with three windows is centrally located, featuring round-headed windows with moulded eared and shouldered surrounds on the ground floor, and plain sashes in flat-headed surrounds above. To the left, a single-storey facade includes a round-headed doorway with double doors and a fanlight, flanked by Ionic columns. Six bays beyond have blind windows within flat-headed surrounds, whilst two similar bays to the right have a 20th-century entrance inserted into the first and a blind window in the second. A curved and canted bay is visible at the corner, with a matching bay extending along the north front.

The projecting north end of the two-storey pool block beyond includes a central bay and curved side bays, all with matching fenestration. The central blind opening contains a commemorative marble plaque. The upper floor lacks windows, and is decorated with a coat-of-arms inscribed “PUBLIC BATHS, AD 1859.” The south front has five bays arranged 3:2. A two-bay single-storey section on the right features two narrow blind windows with similar surrounds, while the two-storey section to the left has two very narrow windows and a blocked doorway. Lighting is provided by set-back clerestory windows. This represents an important early example of a public bath.