Birmingham Baths Committee

The Birmingham Baths Committee was a Birmingham City Council-run organisation responsible for the provision and maintenance of public swimming and bathing facilities within the Birmingham boundaries in England. They constructed bathing facilities within Birmingham through funding by the council.

In the planning procedures before the construction of a swimming bath, the department regularly partnered with the Free Libraries Committee to provide a new swimming bath alongside a new public library.

Birmingham had been provided with swimming baths for some time before the establishment of the Birmingham Baths Committee, which became possible through the introduction of an Act of Parliament. These baths were private and members were often only the wealthy who were able to pay for the service.

The baths received water from natural resources, often springs, which were plentiful throughout the town. Digbeth was a significant site for spring water and had provided water for the area for drinking and washing purposes as well as contributing to the River Rea. However, Digbeth and Deritend became increasingly industrialised and the natural spring was built over as a result.

In William West's "Topography of Warwickshire" (1830), there were around ten private baths. Whilst the dimensions of the baths were small, they provided a range of services and had different aims. A major proprietor of bath houses in Birmingham was a Mr. Monro who had had premises in Lady Well and Snow Hill.

Private baths were advertised as having healing qualities and being able to cure people of diabetes, gout and all skin diseases, amongst others. On 19 November 1844, it was decided that the working class members of society should have the opportunity to access baths, in an attempt to address the health problems of the public. On that day, a committee was formed and a fund was opened. Within a week, £4,000 had been donated to the fund.

On 22 April and 23 April 1845, two lectures were delivered in the town hall urging the provision of public baths in Birmingham and other towns and cities. It was recorded that the attendance of the lectures was low, however, those in attendance were 'highly respectable'.

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