‘We can reimagine a different future for Jacob’s Wells Baths’

Jacob’s Wells Baths is an asset owned by us.

Built in 1889 to serve the working poor, the Grade II-listed building holds within its walls a wealth of of architectural and social heritage – from its time as a public swimming baths to its 30-year history as a dance hub.

This all risks being lost as leisure company Fusion Lifestyle have announced they are pulling out of restoring and managing the space meaning our cash-strapped local authority may now table it for disposal.

The story of this asset is sadly not unusual. A report by the Bristol Cable in 2019 revealed how Bristol City Council has sold off millions of pounds’ worth of public property as part of their ongoing response to austerity.

This local saga is set against a national backdrop dubbed as ‘The Great British Sell-Off’, with local authorities across the UK attempting to combat funding crises through sale of our shared civic and heritage spaces.

It’s a pattern that shows no sign of stopping in 2023. Bristol faces yet another round of cuts and the pressure is on to plug a £32m funding gap in whatever way possible.

More than 130 years on from the Baths’ construction, it feels as though Bristol folk are still working hard though still very much the poorer for it.

Jacob’s Wells Baths were built initially to serve the local community of Hotwells – photo: Martin Booth

It’s really easy to reduce these buildings to numbers on a spreadsheet. If we sell Jacob’s Wells Baths, then the headache as to what to do with it next is finally over.

Plus, we get some cash to plug a gap so we can all breathe a temporary sigh of relief until the next cycle of cuts.

If you grew up poor, it’s actually understandable. I’m sure many of us have memories of our parents pawning what few possessions they’d acquired just to make ends meet. It’s just what you do when you’re broke.

The problem though is that when our councils take this same attitude to balancing the books, this robs current and future generations of the assets we own and makes us all collectively poorer.

In a city like Bristol, growing in density and diversity, it deprives us of places to come together, connect and share experiences.

To learn and grow, to grieve or to celebrate. To keep fit, dance and be merry. To avoid loneliness or just to get out of the cold. Even to problem solve, mobilise and take collective action about the things that matter to us.

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Read next: ‘Moving Central Library would be an act of violence’

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What is unusual about Bristol though is that for every Jacob’s Wells Baths there are other success stories that run counter to this ‘sold from under you’ narrative.

From Spike Island to Watershed to the Tobacco Factory, one thing you can say about Bristol is we’re a city that has demonstrated we can take complex heritage assets and transform them into viable community and cultural hubs.

The Trinity Centre is one such building as over the last 15 years we have demonstrated that we can take a big old dilapidated liability and transform it into a celebrated, multi-use arts and community asset.

So what’s stopping us from doing the same with Jacob’s Wells Baths?

Even with our track record, groups like Trinity just aren’t treated as serious contenders when the future of assets like this comes up for discussion.

Maybe that’s because we don’t have millions of pounds at our disposal, or maybe its because I look like a Fraggle and talk like the love-child of Russell Brand and Janet Street-Porter.

Decision-makers just aren’t that great at trusting anyone to solve complex problems if the solution isn’t packaged in received pronunciation and a smart suit.

We don’t do it because we’re told we can’t, are scared to try or don’t believe we can.

If we want to change this narrative, this doesn’t start with Bristol City Council. It starts here and now with us.

If we want to save our spaces and protect Jacob’s Wells Baths and other shared civic spaces for this and future generations, as citizens we need to come together and say we want one last shot at reimagining a different future.

The council may be the landlord but these buildings are ours. Once they’re gone they’re gone and there is no going back.

We just need to believe for a moment that we can do this, Bristol. Let’s put our heads and voices together and make it happen.

Take action today:

• Contact your councillor and MP; write to them about why Jacob’s Wells Baths is important
• Prepare a statement for local cabinet
• Check out past feasibility study and plans for viable asset management
• Send your support to ensure it is registered as an asset of community value
• Share on social media using the tags #SaveOurSpaces #SoldFromUnderYou #SaveJWB
• Read our 100 Beacons report and find out more about Power to Change’s We’re Right Here campaign
• Share
• Tweet

Emma Harvey is the CEO of Trinity. This article was originally published on the Trinity website.

Main photo: Paul Blakemore – Contact Gonzo perform at Jacob’s Wells Baths during Mayfest 2018

Read next:

• Campaigners hope former baths can be brought back into community use
• Meet the woman leading one of Bristol’s most diverse and celebrated venues
• Vision for the future of Jacob’s Wells Baths

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