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Anyone any memories ?

Used to go swimming there from BGS. Quite a long walk but got a free bus ticket home after!

I live nearby..bloomin' eyesore..About time it got demolished.

Dazzler wrote:I live nearby..bloomin' eyesore..About time it got demolished.

Ditto, it’s a big ugly building. Sentiment aside why would anybody want to keep that building there? Some lovely new houses down the road and would be great for more of the same.

The took the roof off months ago and I’ve not seen a worker since

Good its a dump

I grew up near Duke Bar, so North Street was the baths that we swam in as kids - demolished years ago.
In fact, Billy Gaskell taught my sister and me to swim and then taught my girls at Swimsafe!
Although the old baths were VERY primitive, the atmosphere was somehow exciting - you couldn't get changed quickly enough, because you were only 6 feet away from the water!!

Once saw a fresh turd glistening in the water and thought bloody hell they must have cleaned the pool. What a dump (thats the place not the glistening turd)

Pleased you all liked it !!!!

Didn't know I could swim and all of a sudden I was winning medals and became age group rated at National level.

Gannow Baths was my starting point in 1965. For some people it was the only place to take a weekly bath back then.

I have to agree it's run its course, about 30 years ago!

Gannow baths was the one I used from BGS but at primary school we went to the Central Baths behind the Town Hall. They've been gone some years.

I swam for St. Ted's, and one day we had a competition at Central Baths over a lunchtime (might even have been against BGS) and i didn't have my stuff with me, but Bill Duxberry insisted I had to swim, so I had to wear a pair of the trunks they used to lend/hire to swimmers who didn't own any!
They were a knitted material (possibly wool) and although they fit me OK on dry land - the minute I hit the water as I dived in at the start of my race they transformed into the equivalent of a drag-race car's parachute brake, grabbing my ankles as my legs tried to follow the rest of me ( knifing through the water like a shark in pursuit of its dinner) and bringing me to an abrupt halt as the rest of the 'field' disappeared to the other end of the pool.
To add insult to injury - I decided, after re-dressing, to swim rather gingerly in order to avoid a repeat of the kind of humiliation that never really leaves you, because I was as self-conscious as only a thirteen year old can be. When I got out of the pool (having come a very solid last!) I got a bollocking from Bill D for not just getting on with the race (presumably naked)!
It's no wonder I'm mentally scarred, when I think about it!!

JohnMac wrote:Didn't know I could swim and all of a sudden I was winning medals and became age group rated at National level.

Gannow Baths was my starting point in 1965. For some people it was the only place to take a weekly bath back then.

I have to agree it's run its course, about 30 years ago!

I learned to swim there in 1962 and was in the swimming club (Friday nights) for some years after and did my mile certificate there. We lived on Gannow lane just down from the Grey Mare. We also used to go weekly from school, Rosegrove.

I used to go weakly too - hated swimming and still do!

bob-the-scutter wrote:I learned to swim there in 1962 and was in the swimming club (Friday nights) for some years after and did my mile certificate there. We lived on Gannow lane just down from the Grey Mare. We also used to go weakly from school, Rosegrove.

I went to Rosegrove as well, 1966 -1970.

A rival to Harrow, Charterhouse and Eton

Dougall wrote:I swam for St. Ted's, and one day we had a competition at Central Baths over a lunchtime (might even have been against BGS) and i didn't have my stuff with me, but Bill Duxberry insisted I had to swim, so I had to wear a pair of the trunks they used to lend/hire to swimmers who didn't own any!
They were a knitted material (possibly wool) and although they fit me OK on dry land - the minute I hit the water as I dived in at the start of my race they transformed into the equivalent of a drag-race car's parachute brake, grabbing my ankles as my legs tried to follow the rest of me ( knifing through the water like a shark in pursuit of its dinner) and bringing me to an abrupt halt as the rest of the 'field' disappeared to the other end of the pool.
To add insult to injury - I decided, after re-dressing, to swim rather gingerly in order to avoid a repeat of the kind of humiliation that never really leaves you, because I was as self-conscious as only a thirteen year old can be. When I got out of the pool (having come a very solid last!) I got a bollocking from Bill D for not just getting on with the race (presumably naked)!
It's no wonder I'm mentally scarred, when I think about it!!

In my time you also had to leave one of your shoes as a deposit and hop into the building on one leg.
Imagine the outcry that would bring today?

ClaretTony » Fri Mar 29, 2019 10:32 pm ....

"Gannow baths was the one I used from BGS but at primary school we went to the Central Baths behind the Town Hall."

I was at BGS a little earlier and went to Central only. Never went to Gannow but I do remember the place.

It still makes me chuckle when they knocked the Thompson Centre down.

They knocked a leisure centre down to build a car park - and knocked a car park down to build a leisure centre.

Dougall wrote: They were a knitted material (possibly wool) and although they fit me OK on dry land - the minute I hit the water as I dived in at the start of my race....

It's no wonder I'm mentally scarred, when I think about it!!

I can vouch for those type trunks having had a similar experience possibly at North Street.

It was the Burnley youth finals or similar and I was there alone on the wrong side of town.

My trunks were knackered so had to borrow some and as soon as I dived in the trunks went straight to the ankles instantly ruining my chance of stardom.
I could hear the collective gasp from the attending crowd and just struggled along one armed to finish last.

I knew I was quicker than the winner (by about 2 seconds) and was quite upset, nobody had a word of sympathy in those days so having rushed to get changed I slunked away on my own with tears forming as the victor, surrounded by family and friends was displaying a huge trophy for the Burnley Express snapper wearing the snazzy Speedo's his shop owning parents had bought him for the finals.

I wasn't bitter, obviously