Lime Grove Baths was a

public bath 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 ...

and

wash 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 ...

in the

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London boroughs, London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 as the London Borough of Hammersmith from the merger of the former Metr ...

located on Lime Grove,

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...

. The baths first opened in 1907. In the 1980s, the baths closed down. The pool hall and baths were demolished and the entrance block was converted into flats.

History

Origins

Since at least 8 November 1897, the land belonged to the Latymer Foundation. By a conveyance dated 30 November 1904, the land was acquired by the

Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith The Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in London, England from 1900 to 1965. It included Hammersmith, Wormwood Scrubs, Old Oak Common and Shepherd's Bush. The borough ...

from

Richard Durnford Richard Durnford (3 November 1802 – 14 October 1895) was the Bishop of Chichester from 1870 to 1895. Biography He was born in Newbury, Berkshire, into an ecclesiastical family (his father was also named Richard Dunford). He was educated at Et ...

, Secretary to the Charity Commissioners of England and Wales. The Lime Grove Baths was formally opened on Thursday 7 November 1907 by

Edmund Charles Rawlings Edmund Charles Rawlings JP (11 December 1854 – 17 December 1917), was a British solicitor, a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician, and a prominent Primitive Methodism, Primitive Methodist. He served as mayor of Hammersmith. Family Rawli ...

, the Mayor of Hammersmith. The opening gala included an aquatic display arranged by the committee starting at 6:30pm. Lime_Grove_Baths_OS_1912

Use

The baths had two swimming pools. The smaller was open all year round whereas the larger was open only during summer months. During the winter season, the larger pool was converted into a public hall for meetings, concerts, wrestling, dances,

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

and Indoor

Bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

. In 1908, the baths held their first swimming, diving and plunging Championship meeting. In 1910, John Henry "Rob" Derbyshire, became manager of the baths in 1910. Soon after, in 1916, the Hammersmith Ladies Swimming Club was co-founded in 1916 by his wife Alice Derbyshire, who served as its honorary secretary for nearly 30 years and as president from 1945 to 1975. In 1921, Rob Derbyshire founded the Penguin Swimming Club. The Penguin Swimming Club held their fifth annual club championships gala at the baths in 1964. In 1915,

Lime Grove Studios Lime Grove Studios was a film, and later television, studio complex in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The complex was built by the Gaumont Film Company in 1915. It was situated in Lime Grove, a residential street in Shepherd's Bush, and ...

was built opposite the baths. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a Grand Christmas Fair was held at the baths in aid of prisoners of war. On 11 November 1918, a dance was held at the baths on

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

Night. The baths were the location for swimming and water polo competitions, including annual competitions for the Hammersmith Schools' Swimming Association (1919, 1920, 1921, 1934, 1935, 1966) and trials for the London Schools Swimming Association in 1935. In 1948, recordings from the Championship All-Breed Cat Show held at the baths were broadcast on BBC Women's Hour. In 1949, future

President of Nigeria The president of Nigeria, officially the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the Federal Government an ...

Nnamdi Azikiwe Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe, (16 November 1904 – 11 May 1996), commonly referred to as Zik of Africa, was a Nigerian politician, statesman, and revolutionary leader who served as the 3rd and first black governor-general of Nigeria from 1960 ...

spoke at the Plenary Session of the British Peace Congress held at the baths, delivering the speech "A Denunciation of European Imperialism". By 1962, the baths provided facilities for bathing, swimming and laundry. Private hot baths and shower cubicles were available with towels, soap, bath cubes and shampoos available for a small cost. There were concession rates for children and free baths on certain days for pensioners. The baths provided fully automatic washer-dryers and hand irons. Swimming and boxing matches from the baths were regularly broadcast by the BBC, including an iconic fight between Mick McManus and Peter Preston in 1967. The baths were a location for the baths scene in the 1979 film '

Quadrophenia ''Quadrophenia'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While ...

Closure

By 1980, the building's roof began to break away and the baths were closed down, following the opening of

White City Pools White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

in 1979. The pool hall and baths to the west were demolished and the entrance block on Lime Grove was sold to the

Notting Hill Housing Trust Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) is a housing association formed in April 2018 by the merger of Notting Hill Housing Trust, Notting Hill Housing and Genesis Housing Association. Notting Hill Genesis’ primary purpose is to work in the community to ...

by a conveyance dated 18 February 1982 and converted into flats.

References

{{Reflist Swimming pools Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1907 establishments in England