Heath Town Public Baths And Library

Heath Town Public Baths and Library is a public baths and library building constructed between 1930 and 1931, designed by H.B. Robinson, the Borough Surveyor and Engineer. It is built from pink and orange fletton bricks with moulded concrete dressings and features corrugated asbestos roofs.

The layout includes a library on the first floor at the front, with a loggia below that has a central entrance leading to the vestibule of the swimming baths. The main bath is located at the center, with children's baths on the north side and a public wash-house on the south side, which has been converted into a gymnasium. The building is designed in a Free Classical style.

The exterior is two storeys high and features a symmetrical east front with a 1:1:5:1:1 bay arrangement. The central five bays have an arcaded loggia supported by moulded concrete arches and piers, with a central doorway framed by a broad bolection moulded concrete architrave and flanked by volutes. Above, there are 3-light concrete mullion windows with leaded panes, and large multi-pane wooden windows set back within the loggia on the ground floor. The projecting bays on the left and right have broad bolection moulded architraves for the library doors, which are topped with panels and flanked by volutes. The entrance features panelled double doors and a concrete parapet adorned with plain medallions. There are porches for the children's baths and public wash-house on the north and south sides. The rear of the building has a wide gable end for the main baths, featuring a large 3-light segmental-headed window and a raised apex for the clerestorey.

Inside, the entrance vestibule to the baths is finished with glazed wall tiles and includes a glazed screen to a kiosk with leaded panes. The main baths have changing cubicles on either side, glazed tile lavatories at the west end, and a reinforced concrete parabolic arch roof. The children's bath has a later flat roof. The public wash-house has been converted into a gymnasium. The library features stairs with iron balustrades, glazed screens, and a panelled desk.