Swindon’s Victorian Baths ‘are of international importance’

A town’s Victorian baths are of “international significance”, a new report has found.

The Grade II* listed Victoria Health Hydro in Milton Road, Swindon is currently undergoing a major refurbishment.

The report, which is part of planning permission granted to Swindon Borough Council, says the site can be unique.

It is also said that Wiltshire Baths may be the oldest continuously surviving Victorian example in the world.

The original building was built in 1891 for the Great Western Railway (GWR) Medical Fund Society, although further bathrooms were added in the early 20th century.

It provided a range of health services, including a doctor, a dentist, a dispensary and a psychology ward.

A new report, written by the council’s specialist historic building consultants Donald Insall Associates, describes the relationship between the GWR, Swindon and Isambard Kingdom Brunel as being of “international significance”.

Having been installed before the introduction of the NHS, the building has been described as a “perfect example of a multi-purpose health insurance” in the mid-20th century.

It provided health services to the thousands of workers who moved to Swindon to work for the GWR from the early 1840s, as well as their families.

The report added that “no similar building is known anywhere” and the baths were “known to be the oldest surviving and continuously functioning example of the Victorian style in Europe – if not the world”.

The report also praised many of the building’s architectural features, providing “a unique and significant example of craftsmanship”.

Describing the building’s continuing value, he added that it was “one of the few” public baths still in existence.

The renovation of the bathrooms will include roof repairs, improved changing facilities, a new entrance and a fitness room in the former laundry room.