| AdminHistory | During discussions in 1890 to absorb the Balsall Heath Urban Sanitary Authority district into the city of Birmingham, it was decided that public baths should be built as soon as possible for the area if Birmingham was to acquire the district. A bill was passed and Balsall Heath was annexed into Birmingham on 1 October 1891. The City of Birmingham Baths Department was then instructed to find an appropriate site for the construction of public baths in the area.
A library had also been promised to the residents of Balsall Heath as part of the amalgamation - working in conjunction with the Birmingham Free Libraries Committee, the Baths Department soon located a site on Moseley Road close to the junction with Edward Road.
Balsall Heath Library opened in on 18 April 1896. Topped with a clocktower, it was designed by Jethro A. Cossins and F. B. Peacock and built in style red brick and terracota. The baths were added immediately to the south and were opened on 30 October 1907, much later than planned owing to severe delays experienced in boring a well on the premises. They were designed by William Hale and Son of 83, Colmore Row, and cost almost £34,000.
The buildings are owned by Birmingham City Council. The library is still run by the council, while the Baths are now run by a community enterprise, Moseley Road Baths CIO, following previous Council plans for them to be closed. They reopened following extensive structural work during 2005. They stand opposite the College of Art and were listed at Grade II as a single entity in 1982, upgraded to Grade II* status in 2004 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
In 2006 a Friends of Moseley Road Baths group was formed to campaign for the long-term future of the building as a fully functioning swimming facility. Since their formation various community events and fundraisers have been held, including the centenary celebration on 30 October 2007 which was attended by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and swimmers past and present. In 2010 the Friends' group was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £48,000 to document the building's history and to interview former and current users of the building. Some aspects of the project are now online.
In October 2021, the building was one of 142 sites across England to receive part of a £35-million injection into the government's Culture Recovery Fund. |