This stunning Edwardian swimming pool is getting a massive multi-million pound glow up

Ever wondered what the Edwardians were up to? What it was like sipping afternoon tea and playing croquet in a feathered hat, or whipping out your pocket watch to check how long you had ‘til supper time?

Well, there’s still a place in Birmingham which will give you an insight into the Edwardian way of life. Moseley Road Baths, located in Balsall Heath, is one of the UK’s oldest listed swimming pools still in use and retains its original fixtures and fittings from 1907. The building’s 46 private washrooms, original oak kiosks and three-sided spectator gallery with balconettes are all still standing, and will transport you right back to their pre-WWI heyday.

At least, that was until 2023, when the pool was forced to shut. Due to its poor condition, the charity responsible for the building announced a major renovation project, promising that the swim spot would be back up and running by 2025.

The plans were later delayed due to funding issues, meaning the Moseley Road Baths still hasn’t opened its doors again, but a new cash injection has greenlit the second stage of its renovation. Phase one of the works eventually began in September 2025 and is still underway, tackling the building’s most urgent repairs.

Now, a £9.2 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will pay for the revamp’s second phase, which will ‘effectively remove Moseley Road Baths’ at risk status’, the pool’s owners have said.

The full works include a complete restoration of the Gala Pool, including revamping the mezzanine gallery and building a new ground-floor public viewing area. The site’s second pool will be transformed into an event space.

The room previously home to the Women’s Slipper Baths is being turned into a community health and wellbeing hub, while the Men’s Second Class Slipper Baths are set to become a community gym. The boiler room will become a flexible studio space.

Plans for the building include the introduction of new accessibility features, like lift and ramp access and wheelchair-accessible changing and viewing areas. 

We’ve still got a few years to wait until the works are completed, but if there are no further delays we could see the Moseley Road Baths welcome visitors back in late 2028.

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