Upgraded city baths welcome public after three-year project completes

A £7.5m redevelopment of Newcastle’s City Baths is now complete – with doors opening to the public for the first time in six years.

The fully restored pool and new fitness and wellbeing facilities have been implemented by Fusion Lifestyle, in a scheme which saw the venue narrowly escape closure in 2013.

The charity has worked with Napper Architects and contractor Createability to upgrade the Grade II listed building over the course of more than three years.

It will now become one of only 11 historic Turkish baths currently in operation in the UK.

As well as restoring the historic pool, the new space at located in central Newcastle on Northumberland Road will offer a fully equipped gym, sauna and state-of-the-art fitness studios that will host up to 100 exercise classes every week.

Anthony Cawley, director of operations at Fusion Lifestyle, said: “The baths have been enjoyed by generations of locals since they opened in 1928 and are a cultural icon to the residents of the city.

“When we spotted the campaign to save the building, we were keen to take on the project and help ensure that its precious history was retained.

“Due to the age of the building and the specialist works needed, the renovations have taken longer than originally anticipated, however we wanted to make sure the restoration was done to the highest of standards.

“We’ve worked closely with the local authority’s conservation officer to ensure that we have kept works true to the original building design, while also incorporating modern touches to ensure that it meets the demands of today’s customers.”

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