Who remembers the slipper baths on Bath Street?

This is the slipper baths that once stood on the corner of Bath Street and Wharf Road, captured here in 1977 by Kath Lovatt. And yes, people really did come here for a bath.

Back then, few of the terraced houses nearby had a bathroom of their own, so a proper hot soak meant a trip to the public baths. You’d pay your few pence and an attendant would run you a bath in a private cubicle, often working the taps from outside so you couldn’t scald yourself or waste the hot water. The tubs took their name from their shape, covered over at one end like a slipper to keep the warmth in and give you a bit of privacy.

For a lot of local families this was a weekly treat rather than an everyday thing. But as more homes got their own bathrooms through the sixties and seventies, the need for places like this slowly faded. The baths were demolished a few years after this photo was taken, and the land on the corner has stood empty ever since.

Who remembers going for a bath on Bath Street?