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Jacobs Wells Baths set to re-open in two years

Steve Yabsley
BBC Radio Bristol
Carys Nally
BBC News, Bristol
Hotwells’ hidden gem “opening soon”

A new art, dance and music venue is set to open in a former Victorian public bathhouse in two years.

The group behind transforming Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells, Bristol, has now raised £2m towards its target of £5m.

Two years ago, Trinity Community Arts (TCA) was granted a 35-year guardianship lease of the Grade II-listed building.

Emma Harvey, CEO of TCA, said "different areas of the building" could be brought back into use next year ahead of it fully re-opening by the end of 2027.

Emma Harvey stands in the doorway of the Jacob Wells Baths, wearing a hard hat and a florescent vest over a red and black top, with leggings. The Baths building is made of red brick with limestone bricks creating the doorway and windows.
CEO of Trinity Arts Emma Harvey outside of Jacob Wells Baths

She told BBC Radio Bristol: "I'd like to see lots of things happening all under one roof.

"Lots of community activities, cultural experiences, intergenerational activities - you name it, we want it to happen here."

Since taking over the building, Trinity Community Arts, which also has a venue in Old Market, has been raising fund through grants, including its latest one of £252,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Close up of Jacobs Wells Baths' current flooring inside with square tiles. Scaffolding has been erected inside and there are workmen in the background.
The building's lease owners have already raised £2m to transform the space

The building originally opened in 1889 when it was used as a bathhouse for the poor. The baths closed in the late 1970s.

It later re-opened as a community dance centre before closing in 2018.

Plans to turn it back into a public pool for the first time in more than 40 years were abandoned in January 2023 due to the pandemic and rising costs.

Emma Brown, TCA's heritage facilities manager, said the team were "very excited" about hosting "dynamic arts" in the space.

She said: "It's not your typical heritage space. You meet people that still have a living memory of learning to swim in this space.

"[We want to] bring that back alive again, but also to showcase it in a new modern way."

Councillor Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council, said it is "fantastic" to see the restoration of the baths take another step forward.

"As work continues, I look forward to collaborating with them further as we strive to protect the baths' legacy and invest in its future," he said.

Trinity Community Arts also secured £1m from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities' (DLUHC) Community Ownership Fund, and £400,000 in match funding from local trusts including Nisbet Trust, the John James Foundation and other funders.

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