Bon Accord Baths, Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen

The Bon Accord Baths, built between 1936 and 1940, were designed by Alexander McRobbie of the City Architects Department, working with Chief Engineer Thomas Henderson. The building is an example of Art Deco architecture. The baths are arranged in a T-shape, with a 14-bay swimming pool extending behind a projecting entrance block. The north-west (entrance) front, facing Justice Mill Lane, is austere and symmetrical with 19 bays.

The north-west entrance block is constructed of granite ashlar, with brick to the north-east return, and cement rendering to the south-east elevation and the swimming pool block. The symmetrical design features a slightly advanced central section of seven bays, containing three entrance bays articulated by four full-height projecting vertical mullions, from which flagpoles are missing. There are three windows within the mullions at gallery level, with vertical 4-pane hopper glazing. The entrance doors feature etched glass depicting the city of Aberdeen flag. The outer canted bays have pairs of 4-pane windows at intermediate basement and mezzanine levels. The ground floor has six tall windows in a shallow recessed horizontal strip in each of the outer flanking bays, and a pair of windows to the north-east return in a similar recessed strip. The rear elevation windows on both the ground and first floors are predominantly 8-pane centre windows, divided by two wider metal transoms, opening as hoppers above and below, with 8-pane margins.

The south-east (swimming pool) block is stepped, with a semi-circular roof at its centre, advanced at ground floor to create a gallery level. It is flanked by flat roof sections with roof lights to the north-east, south-east, and south-west. The elevation features tall, paired windows under a single window, all with geometric glazing. Gallery level windows are multi-paned and horizontal.

The interior, observed in 1991, features curved walls in the entrance hall lined with blond ‘ripple’ sycamore timber panelling, which continues throughout the building. The Art Deco geometrically divided glazing is also continued inside. The swimming pool itself has raked seating and a shallow, segmental vaulted concrete roof supported on concrete piers. There are concrete galleries between the piers, and original concrete diving boards to the south-east. Symmetrical stairs lead from the entrance gallery down to the ground floor changing rooms and to the pool edge. A decorative arrangement of paired concrete pylons and a wall-mounted clock are located at the north screen wall of the pool, with a viewing gallery above. The fittings are chrome.