Once a symbol of cleanliness and social progress, the Grade II-listed Ladywell Baths has now been left to rot in filth, and haunting photographs of its once impressive interior make for eerie viewing
When Ladywell Baths first opened its doors in 1885, it would have felt like an enormous step forward for the local community and a symbol of hope for the future.
Now, the striking Gothic building, located just outside Lewisham, is a ghostly echo of its former self, its once bustling corridors left to rot in eerie silence.
Also known as The Playtower, Ladywell Baths was first constructed in 1884, in response to the Public Health Acts of 1848 and 1875.
This legislation was implemented after civil servant Edwin Chadwick’s groundbreaking 1842 investigation into British living conditions. The subsequent report determined that poverty and poor health were, in fact, caused by awful living conditions, not idleness, as had previously been assumed.
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One of the very first public swimming pools in Britain, Ladywell Baths was designed by Wilson & Son and Thomas Aldwinkle, and constructed for the sum of £9,000 on a site owned by the vicar of the adjacent St Mary’s Church, as per Historic England.
A no doubt delighted local newspaper writer at the time couldn’t help but quip that “cleanliness was next to Godliness”. Had they been able to see what the now filthy building looks like in 2025, they’d likely not have believed their eyes.
The class distinctions of the time were evident with the two separate public swimming pools, a first-class one that cost 6d a dip, and a second-class pool that cost 2d.
In its heyday, thousands flocked to bathe at The Playtower, and there were even those who called it home. As well as leisure facilities, the Grade-II listed Victorian building also included accommodation for wardens, who were responsible for stoking the boilers.
In 1941, during the dark days of World War II, the Baths suffered minor bomb damage, but still stood. Sadly, in what was the end of an era for the local community, the swimming baths closed in 1965, with the two pools floored over.
However, for a while, the building did continue to serve as a place of leisure and exercise. The second-class hall was turned into a gym, while a children’s play centre was opened on the spot where the first-class swimmers once swam.
The building was last used over 20 years ago, with the final occupants, the Ladywell Gymnastics Club, leaving in 2004. Initially, plans were made to flatten the building and build a secondary school, but this never materialised. In 2006, the baths were awarded grade II-listed status, marking them out as a place of “special architectural and historical interest.”
Many of those in the area are fond of the once beautiful building, but disaster and decay have left it a shell of its former self. In 2008, a fire caused serious destruction in the second-class pool hall, which is now roofless and open to the elements.
Overgrown and strewn with debris, the floor placed over the former pool is now crumbling away, along with the rest of the building.
The once well-kept walls are covered with graffiti, and although there have been plans for restoration, as of yet, nothing has come to fruition.
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
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