Western Baths, 8, 10, 12 Cranworth Street, Glasgow

The Western Baths, located at 8, 10, and 12 Cranworth Street in Glasgow, were designed by W Clarke and G Bell and constructed between 1876 and 1881. This impressive building features one and two storeys, along with a basement, and is notable for its symmetrical 13-bay layout arranged in a 1-4-3-4-1 pattern. It showcases an outstanding blend of Byzantine and Gothic architectural styles, with a central three-bay raised section, four-bay linking sections, and single-bay pavilions. The club building is situated at the front, while the swimming pool is located at the rear. The exterior is made of snecked rubble with ashlar dressings, and the basement exhibits rock-faced rustication with a plinth. A ground floor cill band adds to the detailing.

The entrance elevation features a central three-bay recessed, arcaded portico with sculpted spandrels, flanked by three-light colonette mullioned windows with cusped heads. The first-floor windows are round-arched, with two-light windows in the outer bays and a three-light window in the centre bay that includes a balustraded balcony. The eaves are bracketed and corniced on three faces. The linking bays contain four two-light cusp-headed windows with raked cills and a four-light window with stone transoms in the southern bays, where the upper lights are blind. The pavilions are raised and feature vertically linked colonette mullions and architraves, with two-light pointed windows and a frieze-level string course. The roof is predominantly piended slate with finials, and wallhead stacks are present at the returns. The property is enclosed by a coped boundary wall with cast-iron railings and includes cast-iron rainwater goods.

Inside, there is an arcaded round-arched hall screen and arcaded, glazed screens with geometric glazing bars in the poolside changing rooms. The pool hall features lancet windows in the gables and decorative cast-iron roof brackets with the initials W and B in roundels. Many original fittings and pool apparatus from around 1900 are still in place, including hanging rings and a trapeze, as well as spittoons and corner steps leading to the pool. The interior boasts extensive polychromatic floor and wall tiling, a top-lit cooling room with a carved cornice, and panelled rooms. A grand imperial staircase and a columned hall lead to the entrance.