Bramley Baths makes a splash for Leeds 400

Bramley Baths dived into Leeds 400 celebrations with a packed programme of activities to showcase its role as more than a pool and an important heritage site in the city.

On Saturday 25 July Bramley Baths hosted creative workshops using Cyanotype photography to explore the baths architecture and original features, jive and swing dance workshops, and a heritage inspired performance by the Bramley Mermaids to reimagine in the bath’s role as a dance and social hub throughout its history.

In addition, it was business as usual with a packed schedule of swimming lessons and staff training for its respected swimming school, and a floating soundbath to round of the day as part of the baths established health and wellbeing programme.

Bramley Baths welcomed over 434 people throughout the day and attracted new visitors to discover this heritage gem for the first time.

The activities also form part of Bramley Baths’ current #Morethanapool project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which is helping the Baths share its heritage with new audiences while planning for a sustainable future.

Heritage Engagement Manager at Bramley Baths, Helen Whiteley, says, “We were delighted with our Leeds 400 activities, particularly welcoming so many new people to the baths and connecting with the baths’ heritage in new ways. As the last of eight Edwardian bathhouses built in Leeds, Bramley is unique, and it is still delivering what it set out to do when it opened in 1904 as a hub for health and wellbeing, creativity and connection. Thanks to National Lottery players and the support of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are looking ahead to an exciting future where we continue to serve future generations in new and innovative ways while celebrating the Baths’ vibrant heritage and important role in Leeds’s story.”

Investment in #MoreThanAPool from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, is enabling Bramley Baths to explore the untapped potential of its heritage, protect and restore the building, and support long-term service delivery and development.

Bramley Baths has been a treasured asset in the local community of Bramley Leeds for 121 years. Saved from dereliction in 2011, our primary purpose is to benefit the local community and to maintain and protect an Edwardian heritage treasure. We provide swim, gym and classes but we are much more than that…

We have a mission to showcase our wonderful building to promote healthy living and greater wellbeing both locally and nationally

We are a thriving community benefit society powered by local people and a professional staff team, supported by a voluntary board of Trustees.

We welcome 3000 + visitors per week. This includes 16 local schools, with over 1000 people accessing our services through our membership offer and by facilitating other organisations to deliver health and well-being activities. In addition, we continue to provide access to affordable swimming lessons and lifesaving skills for our local community, as it has since 1904. Without us, these vital services would just not exist locally.

We act as an exemplar to other organisations and share our experience to help the heritage pool sector and other social enterprises. We foster strong relationships with local, regional and national partners.

We are a treasured heritage building; Grade II Listed and recently awarded a blue plaque by the Leeds Civic Trust in recognition of our social and cultural significance. Our building is instantly recognisable, its iconic chimney clearly visible from miles away and acts as a physical representation of a bridge between the past and the future.

A development grant of £639,375 from the Heritage Fund was awarded in June 2025 for the first phase of a £4.1 million project. This phase is exploring initial work to restore and protect the unique heritage building, attract new audiences to the Baths through heritage, arts, culture and wellbeing activities, and ensure its vital services are sustained for the long-term future.

https://www.bramleybaths.com

Facebook: @BramleyBaths

Instagram: @bramleybaths

For information about Leeds 400 visit Leeds 400 - a year of celebration (https://www.leeds.gov.uk/campaign/leeds-400)

Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities. heritagefund.org.uk Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund