Wedlake Street Baths

Halfpenny Steps with Wedlake Street behind

Halfpenny Steps with Wedlake Street behind

Warm bath and wash houses, available for public use in Britain, were first established in Liverpool in 1842.

The popularity of wash-houses had been spurred by the newspaper interest in Kitty Wilkinson, an Irish immigrant who became known as the Saint of the Slums. In 1832, during a cholera epidemic, Wilkinson took the initiative to offer the use of her house and yard to neighbours to wash their clothes, at a charge of a penny per week, and showed them how to use a chloride of lime (bleach) to get them clean. She was supported by the District Provident Society and William Rathbone.

In 1844 the Committee for Promoting the Establishment of Baths and Wash-Houses for the Labouring Classes was formed with the Bishop of London as president. The Bishop petitioned for a bill for the regulation of public baths and in 1846 Sir George Gray introduced the bill which became the first legislation for public bathing establishments and empowered local authorities to fund the building of public baths and wash houses.

As a result the first baths and wash-houses in London were constructed in Glasshouse Yard, near the London Docks. A second building was constructed at Goulston Square, Whitechapel, in 1847 with the Prince consort laying the foundation stone.

Baths and a laundry to serve Queen’s Park had been built in 1898, where the boundary with Kensington ran slightly south of the canal along Wedlake Street to Kensal Road. They were built next to Halfpenny (Ha’penny) Steps which allowed access across the canal for people from Queen’s Park.

Wedlake Street Baths housed both a swimming pool and public baths. Families would go there for their weekly bath. There was a distinct system in place to use the facilities – you would get a numbered ticket and sat until your number was called. While you were in the bath, you could shout out to the attendent if you wanted more hot or cold water. The steel changing cubicles, a local remembered, were all made of steel – even the door. ‘It felt like you were in stir!’, remembered one.

Earlier times, people would leave their clothes unattended in the cubicle with the half door and a curtain on the top. Then it turned modern and they got the clothes basket and a number to pin on their costumes.

Wedlake Baths were closed in 1980.

View the baths on an old map of Kensal Town

1 comment

    • Adrian Wright on September 4, 2022 at 8:10 am
    • Reply

    There were actually two pools at Wedlake, the larger one at the entrance end and a smaller one further back.

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