R.I.P Annesley Colliery Bathhouse

Derelict Places

Help Support Derelict Places:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

james.s

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
1,178
Reaction score
9
Location
Straight Outta DE5
I am not sure if you are aware or not, but another piece of our nation's heritage has been obliterated...
The iconic bath house at Annesley colliery recently succumbed to the bulldozer, to pave way for a heritage centre... What better building to house one of those. I hope they enjoy their bloody housing estate.
Rest in peace Annesley and one of my favourite explores this year.

The bath house was built by the miners themselves using their own money in the 1930s in an art-deco style. It was one of the best surviving derelict bath houses in the area if not the UK, maybe it's downfall was the apparent vandalism and arson, though this was not evident in my visits. It's real downfall came from the council's narrow mindedness, forcing propaganda to the local residents and seemingly rigging votes on the fate of the site, most people asked in an independant survey wanted to keep the structure.

Anyway, here are some pictures of what once existed, for those who haven't seen it.

img5969.jpg


img5980_1.jpg


img5958_1.jpg


img5951.jpg


img5943.jpg


img5981.jpg


img7765_1.jpg


img7770.jpg


img7781.jpg


img7824_1.jpg


Pictures of the site now... Picture credit to DWEEB
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z130/dweeb_03/ue 2/BAnnesley.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z130/dweeb_03/ue 2/BAnnesley2.jpg
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z130/dweeb_03/ue 2/BAnnesley3.jpg

it was listed too...
Rest In Peace Annesley.
 
Last edited:
Another one - some relics that they won't be using in their all-singing all-dancing heritage centre.

img5964.jpg


Nobody really will note the loss of this I bet, they will moan in a few years, the council will realise what it's done. To quote a line from Duran Duran; Don't say a prayer for me now... save it 'til the morning after...
 
Oh they're demolishing it for the heritage center? That sounds like a great idea. Why not have the museum in a squat modern building as opposed to the real thing that the museum is about?

Of course there will be some exciting (irrelevant), interesting (boring) and educational (colourful) audio visual displays and some brillaint display boards, as well as the obligatory "Victorian life" and "WWII" displays, complete with ration books and chamber pots that have shit all to do with the mines.

I hope they enjoy their piece of shit "heritage" center that has actually destroyed yet more of our heritage. :mad:
 
Never been here, but I've loved seeing the reports on it.
It's an amazing story/history of how the miners built the bathhouse themselves, I suppose "them were the days" when people had pride in their employment.
Bloody silly knocking down a gorgeous bit of heritage to make a heritage centre. Sort of defeats the purpose...
 
Never been here, but I've loved seeing the reports on it.
It's an amazing story/history of how the miners built the bathhouse themselves, I suppose "them were the days" when people had pride in their employment.
Bloody silly knocking down a gorgeous bit of heritage to make a heritage centre. Sort of defeats the purpose...

I agree with your idea James. Why oh why could they have not built the Heritage Centre in the Bathouse.
 
There's still the headstock, but that will go soon.

It seems almost beyond Belief to me that nothing has been done to preserve anything like this. It makes me bloody angry that our Industrial Heritage and everything that once made our Country what it is today is just swept away under the Carpet without a thought. In a way its Ingnorance in an Industrial Way!
 
It seems almost beyond Belief to me that nothing has been done to preserve anything like this. It makes me bloody angry that our Industrial Heritage and everything that once made our Country what it is today is just swept away under the Carpet without a thought. In a way its Ingnorance in an Industrial Way!

I started a petition to save this. Fat lot of good it did too.
I could write to the paper, but what's the point?
 
Last edited:
i've just had a few drives past it today. It's not been totally demolished yet, the clock tower and the art deco curved frontage is still there, at the moment. They're demolishing the building from the back (facing the headstocks and the open land) towards the front.

The lockers were all piled up on top of one another near the fence on the left hand side. There were two huge lorries (scrap lorries) on site a couple of hours ago. Plus two cars, one digger, and a black 4x4. Could only see two men with high vis talking to the man in the digger.

:) Sal
 
It's a shame it's going/gone, it really is. Would've loved to have gone back to visit the bathhouse as I never went in :(

Why oh why could they have not built the Heritage Centre in the Bathouse.

That was what I was saying yesterday to James, it would've made a lot more sense.
 
i've just had a few drives past it today. It's not been totally demolished yet, the clock tower and the art deco curved frontage is still there, at the moment. They're demolishing the building from the back (facing the headstocks and the open land) towards the front.

The lockers were all piled up on top of one another near the fence on the left hand side. There were two huge lorries (scrap lorries) on site a couple of hours ago. Plus two cars, one digger, and a black 4x4. Could only see two men with high vis talking to the man in the digger.

:) Sal

I've just been, the bath house is still there in parts, but is beyond repair, I.E - No roof or front...
The headstocks look lined up for demolition, they are no floodlit at night and surrounded by diggers and security, so are probably no longer doable. It's a real bad shame, it doesn't even seem as if they are using parts of any of it for their precious heritage centre.
 
Here's a few quick snapshots of the bathhouse, taken about an hour ago:

Looks like a hasty demolition...
img1601.jpg


This one shows the lockers in front of the skip
img1602.jpg

 
Cheers James. Have the lockers that were nearer to the fence gone, or are they with those near the skip?

They're using the compound they used before, at that gate not far from the headstocks. grrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Was quite a few cars in the compound earlier on, have they all gone from there now?
 
Cheers James. Have the lockers that were nearer to the fence gone, or are they with those near the skip?

They're using the compound they used before, at that gate not far from the headstocks. grrrrrrrrrrrr!!! Was quite a few cars in the compound earlier on, have they all gone from there now?

Well, it's a new compound, but the 'stocks are now lit up. The lockers are still there, albeit very smashed. The compound also houses a very irate and eastern-european looking guard...
The cars are gone now.
 
Been up again this morning to have a look at the state of play. The back part of the tower with the clock on is now gone, and more of the bathhouse has been demolished.

This is looking from the lane at the side of the site.
DSCF2925.jpg


The diggers
DSCF2926.jpg


The back of the tower where one part of the clock used to be. :(
DSCF2927.jpg


You can see here, more of the back now gone.
DSCF2929.jpg


Tiny bit of wall left against the road.
DSCF2931.jpg


Some of those wonderful lockers, now all dinted and dumped. :cry:
DSCF2932.jpg


And lastly, more lockers :cry:
DSCF2933.jpg


Hope someone else can get up there and get some more updates.

:) Sal
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Back
Top