Former Bath City Laundry

The Former Bath City Laundry is a building that dates back to around 1889 and was designed by Major Charles Davis, the City architect. It has been repurposed as workshops. The structure features a mix of limestone ashlar and coursed dressed stone, topped with pantile roofs and a water tank covered in corrugated asbestos sheeting.

The building is situated on a rectangular site along Swallow Street and York Street. Its exterior is single-storey with an attic, presenting a five-bay front to York Street. The ground floor showcases an Ionic pilastrade with altered infill, a door, and arched windows. The upper floor contains plain sash windows set between Doric pilasters, which align with the Douche and Massage Baths located opposite. The first floor is adorned with an entablature and cornice, featuring a dentil cornice with blocking at the eaves. A corner doorway, now glazed, is framed by paired Ionic pilasters.

On Swallow Street, the building has a three-bay front that is plain with small sash windows. Additional sections along Swallow Street are constructed from squared coursed stone, displaying a variety of doors and windows. Notably, there is a Baroque doorway with a pediment on brackets, interrupted by an achievement-of-arms, leading to panelled double doors. A massive fluted ashlar chimney, embellished with classical Baroque detailing, rises from a square pavilion base at the center of the site.

The interior has not been inspected. Historically, this building was part of a significant High Victorian initiative to improve the baths area, strategically located to utilize a nearby source of natural hot water that was transported over the Swallow Street bridge. In response to its setting, Davis created an exceptionally ornate 'Free Renaissance' design that stands in contrast to the nearby Georgian public buildings. The Former Bath City Laundry is listed together with the Part of the Queen's Bath.