|
Spring Hill Baths is a heritage-listed swimming pool at 14 Torrington Street, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Kirk and built from 1886 to 1913 by William M Park. It is also known as Arthur Street City Baths and Municipal Baths at Spring Hill. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. == History == Constructed for the Town of Brisbane in 1886 at a cost of £2,526, the Spring Hill Municipal Baths provided the city with its first inground public baths. They replaced in popularity the older floating baths in the Brisbane River, and provided an important hygiene/sanitation facility in Spring Hill.〔 They were erected during the 1880s expansion of Brisbane municipal works, which included construction of the second of the Spring Hill Reservoirs and an extensive drainage system in Spring Hollow.〔 Enoggera contractor William McCallum Park built the structure to a design by city engineer Thomas Kirk, completing the work in August 1886. On the evening of 9 December 1886 and amid great ceremony, the baths were opened by the Mayor of Brisbane, James Hipwood, who took the first plunge.〔 One of the principal reasons for establishing the Arthur Street (now Torrington Street) bath was its location above the Spring Hollow (Water Street) drain, installed in 1884, the waste water from the baths providing a daily cleanse. River water from Petrie Bight was pumped to a small reservoir at the top end of Albert Street, then gravity fed down Spring Hill to the Hollow, where it was stored in holding tanks (now boarded over) at the far end of the baths. Each evening the pool was drained and every morning the water was replenished in a process lasting several hours. This system of flushing the Spring Hill drain was employed for three-quarters of a century.〔 Not until 1914 did the city council install a salt-water supply scheme to which the baths were linked. As the Brisbane River grew more polluted, chemicals were added to the pool water, and finally a filtration system was installed in 1961.〔 In 1902 a gallery and diving platform were erected at the western end of the baths, necessitating the removal of several of the dressing sheds. These were re-instated in 1913 when the gallery was extended around three sides. Also in 1913 an awning was erected over the front entrance. The present club room extension appears to have been added at a later date.〔 In 1962 a male toilet block was added along the northern elevation, and the caretaker's accommodation was extended.〔 Until construction of the Wickham Street Municipal Swimming Baths in 1926, the baths at Spring Hill remained the venue for most of Queensland's competitive swimming, both school and amateur. In 1927 it was one of the first pools in Australia to allow mixed bathing, and it remains one of the oldest still in use. In recent years the club room has accommodated an art gallery, and the pool has been used for a variety of purposes, including community theatre.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Spring Hill Baths」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|