News / Jacob's Wells Baths
£1m grant to help transform former baths into community arts hub
The year is finishing on an optimistic note for the campaign to transform Jacob’s Wells Baths into a vibrant community arts hub thanks to a £1m investment.
The former swimming pool that was also a dance centre for many years is a Grade II-listed building that was costing Bristol City Council too much money to keep empty and unused.
So the team behind Trinity have come to Hotwells to raise the funds needed to repair and restore the building, with a £1,050,000 grant from the Department for Levelling Up’s Community Ownership Fund now secured.
is needed now More than ever
The council are set to grant a 35-year community asset transfer to Trinity, with surveys currently taking place in order to work out what measures need to be taken to stop further damage to the historic building on Jacob’s Wells Road.
More than £400,000 has already been pledged in support of the project from the Nisbet Trust, with a crowdfunder appeal also recently launched.
Jacob’s Wells Baths in 1904 – image: Bristol Archives
Trinity trustee, Dr Fidel Meraz, said: “This is another massive step in a hugely ambitious recovery effort and the Trinity board would like to extend our huge thanks to DLUHC, match funders and supporters for sharing our vision.
“We’re immensely grateful for the support so far. While we’ve made progress, we still need additional funds to achieve our goal.
“You can contribute to our cause through Fundsurfer to help us realise this building’s untapped potential.”
Contact Gonzo vs Bristol at Jacob’s Wells Baths as part of Mayfest in 2018 – photo: Paul Blakemore
The Trinity team’s ultimate vision is to secure an estimated £4m for a two-phased capital project to bring the dilapidated building back to life.
Opened in 1887, Jacob’s Wells Baths were described at the time by the Western Daily Press as “one of the finest in the kingdom”. Close to Jacob’s Wells Industrial Dwellings, the public baths were intended for use by the working poor.
Converted into the home of Bristol Community Dance Centre in the 1980s, the building gained an internationally acclaimed rosewood sprung floor which still remains in place over the top of the pool.
After the pool closed in the late 1970s, Jacob’s Wells Baths was converted in 1981 into a community-managed dance centre, which itself closed in 2016.
Fusion Lifestyle took over the building’s lease in 2017 with the aim to restore it as part of a leisure, dance and arts, and community centre, but later withdrew plans.
Trinity CEO, Emma Harvey, added: “The success of a project like this is less about one thing and more about overcoming a series of interconnected challenges; from addressing immediate liabilities and securing funding to galvanising support from local stakeholders, alongside showing that the building has a longterm, viable future.
“Each step in this journey paves the way for the next and this latest grant from DLUHC brings us ever closer to this building’s revival.
“Its success is still very much dependent on your support. We invite you to join us and show you care by giving to our Fundsurfer.”
Jacob’s Wells Baths could become a vibrant community hub for Hotwells and Cliftonwood – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Alastair Brookes
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