Comments on: Castle Gateway studies: Tower Gardens (St George’s Park)

By: jeremy Emmott

jeremy Emmott — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 06:29:19 +0000

I have happy memories of swimming at St George’s baths as a member of York City Baths Club in the 1960’s. The club’s star swimmers were Ann Barner and Amanda Radnage and we aspired to reach their level when we were older. I used to train there on the way home from Archbishop Holgate’s Grammar School on Hull Road.
On alternate Tuesdays I had to miss training to get my brace adjusted at the dentist on Blossom Street ( I think he was called Burdekin). But I still swam about 4 times a week and with my rugby and athletics at school I was fitter than I have ever been since.
On one occasion training was called off as River Ouse water had got into the pool apparently because someone had forgotten to close a valve in a pipe which led into the river.
I too remember the freezing communal changing room at St George’s. I don’t remember much of the architecture of the place but my recollection was of the place being rather run-down. Yearsley baths were much better-originally open air but roofed over some time in the 60s. There was also an open air pool on the other side of the river which I think was called Rowntree’s Baths but was actually much closer to Terry’s factory. I took part in a York schools swimming gala there. People pronounced it “gay-la” for some reason.
Happy days!

By: Ian

Ian — Wed, 02 Aug 2017 14:40:28 +0000

I’m sure we all remember the “icebox” that most of the schools had to use as a changing room as the box changing areas were used by the paying public. A shortish walk from Scarcroft Junior in the late 50’s under the watchful eye of the gregarious Head Teacher,Miss Tomlinson, saw me swim my first length in the round bath and receive my bronze medal. As I got older it was York City Baths club on a Tuesday and Thursday night with a steaming cup of machine made cocoa for 3d afterwards and, if the Fair was in town, a walk round the stalls trying to win a coconut. I did win “Sammy,” my pet goldfish though. Teddy boys and drainpipes; beehive hairstyles and flared skirts; the smell of candyfloss and toffee apples; bumper cars and giant swings with a Union Jack and Stars & Stripes pained underneath them; diesel generators and brylcream; roll-a-penny stalls and airguns. Commercial? Absolutely. But more akin to a medieval fair than anything we get in town today. This was what George’s Field was for. The entertainment of the masses. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 20:40:31 +0000

On the subject of St George’s Swimming Baths, near the Castle,and Yearsley Baths at the opposite city location,must agree it was the better of the two.My school class pal also lived at 2 Kitchener St,which I visited often,most times for the both of us to go swimming thence,and in later teenage years to dance at Rowntree Youth club dances,and join in JR THEATRE events,both on,and back stage.Unlike the old Rowntree factory, those baths are still very much alive,thanks to york council’s efforts,prodded quite significantly by public demand,and probably still well used by local people.

By: Deborah Roberts

Deborah Roberts — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 13:55:42 +0000

Yearsley baths , now your talking Stephen.
Lovely place to swim.
My granny and aunts and uncles lived in Kitchener Street , very close.
I used to go and stay with my big cousin Pat Sanderson there in the holidays and her father took us swimming every morning.
It was so good to swim in the open air and the changing booths at the side were always clean with top openings so you could look out at the activity in the pool.
I think the water was also fairly warm .
Is it still there or like so much to do with the factory lost in time ?

By: Stephen

Stephen — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 04:14:52 +0000

Wonderful Georges baths,one of my WW2 bathing places ,in that time of food/clothing/fuel and everything buyable shortages.Visited every week thro’ out the war with my class from Nunthorpe school,the freezing cold changing room at the side,slippery floors as Deborah said,but the nice warm oval bath for beginners,making it endurable.Havng a Mum and two sisters in my house,a bath for me was at the end of a queue,with me the youngest at the end for my once a week bathe,so George’s it was.Mouth watering memories,of fishy pilchard sandwiches packed up by my Mum for lunch afterwards sitting on th wall outside to enjoy,
Yearsley baths too came in handy near my house, occassionally having a HUGE slipper bath 1/2 hour soak,paid for by the money obtained from returning a bottle (2p a time,from the off license in Haleys terrace

By: Deborah Roberts

Deborah Roberts — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 19:23:56 +0000

I still remember going to the St Georges Field swimming baths with my school though cant recall if it was Westfield or Acomb Secondary Modern .
Victorian and very cold with very slippery floors !
It did however have beautiful tiling throughout and would no doubt had it been kept would have been turned into a wonderful Turkish bath type business frequented by the ” York yuppies “