Join us for the third in a series of online events and talks hosted by Victoria Baths:

The Evils of Dirt and the Value of Cleanliness

A history of Manchester’s early baths and wash houses 1840-1876

By Sylvia Kölling, Library Manager and Researcher. Sylvia co-runs The Cassowary Project.

Manchester’s early baths and wash-houses demonstrate a complex history of a rapidly changing industrial town, a town afflicted with epidemics, rampant property speculation and unimaginable squalor.

In her talk, Sylvia will explore how Manchester’s early baths and wash-houses came into existence; why Manchester Corporation did not adopt the Baths and Wash-houses Act of 1847/8 and how both public health agitation and a conflation of dirt with moral degridation dominated the thinking about public bathing and washing. Event suitable for older children and adults.

You don’t need to book multiple tickets for multiple attendees, just book one for each screen you will be using.

• One ticket per screen
• 7pm – 8pm
• Suggested minimum donation £5

Please be aware that the talk may be recorded for our archive.

We’re running this event on a ‘Pay what you Feel’ basis and suggest a minimum of £5 per ticket. Every donation helps to support Victoria Baths, who look after this beautiful building for the community of Manchester and beyond.

Victoria Baths Trust is a registered charity and relies on the support of the public to continue its efforts to fully restore the building.