The Baths Hall is an entertainment venue in

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an industrial town and unparished area in the unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an estimated total population of 82,334 in 2016. A ...

North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Bar ...

, England. It hosts many types of entertainment, including live music, dance and comedy.

History

Situated at 59 Doncaster Road, the Scunthorpe building is a former public

bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

dating from 1931. It has served as an entertainment venue since the 1970s. It was renovated and reopened in 2005 but closed to undergo a major re-build. Bands that have played the venue include

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. ...

Ocean Colour Scene Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English rock band formed in Solihull in 1989. They have had five top 10 albums including a number one in 1997. They have also achieved seventeen top 40 singles and six top 10 singles to dat ...

, The Damned,

The Bluetones The Bluetones are an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members are Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Mark's brother Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth m ...

and

The Levellers The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populis ...

. The late DJ

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

regularly appeared at the hall. The previous

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Council closed the Baths, intending to demolish it and replace it with private housing. In 2007 the Conservative Council was replaced by a Labour Council, which honoured its

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

commitment to save the Baths. It rebuilt the hall, retaining its 1931 frontage, and created a modern entertainment venue. The Hall is able to seat a maximum of 1,200 people, and 2,000 standing. The building's design, by North Lincolnshire Council's architects, incorporates

environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that cl ...

technology, including a

rainwater harvesting Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is the collection and storage of rain, rather than allowing it to run off. Rainwater is collected from a roof-like surface and redirected to a tank, cistern, deep pit (well, shaft, or borehole), aquifer, or a reservoir w ...

system for use in the lavatories. The Baths Hall is run by North Lincolnshire Council. It re-opened on the 11 November 2011 with comedian

Bill Bailey Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian and actor. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom '' Black Books'' and his appearances on the panel shows '' Never Mind th ...

and guests performing on the opening evening. Bailey commented that this was the first time that he had been the first act to perform at a new venue. He said about The Baths Hall: "It's got a brilliant atmosphere. I love the type of venues that have a large auditorium with access on either sides. You look out and you see this sweep of seats. It reminds me a lot of very traditional concert halls. It's new but it looks very traditional at the same time. I've never actually opened a venue before so this is a first for me".

Images

File:Front Entrance of The Baths Hall.jpg, Front entrance. File:View of Auditorium from front of Stage.jpg, Auditorium. File:View of Auditorium from Side Balcony.JPG, Auditorium.

References

External links

Baths Hall Website
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Scunthorpe Music venues in Lincolnshire