Public Baths, Lincoln. (Architectural Competition)

LINCOLN - A limited competition among selected architects known as specialists chiefly in the matter of public baths, has been held at Lincoln for submitting designs in reference to the city establishment about to be built there to comprise two swimming-baths and various sets of slipper-baths on a very narrow and long site having frontages in Newland and Brayford Head, close to the river Witham. Mr. Rowland Plumb acted as referee, and drew up the conditions. The cost, stipulated at £9,000, is manifestly inadequate for properly constructing and fitting up so large a building. The design submitted by Messrs. Spalding and Cross has been recommended by the adjudicator for adoption, and the plans have been on view for three days during the past week, but of this no official intimation was received, we understand, by the unsuccessful competitors. Indeed, so unsatisfactory does the award appear to be, that the following protest has been lodged with the town clerk. As this document states facts only, and not mere opinions, it would seem to furnish another case in which an investigation is demanded. Besides the points enumerated below, it is to be noted that in the chosen plan there are no vestibules at the entrance, the hall is only 12ft. wide with the pay-office taken out of it, although the conditions specified spacious entrance halls. The slipper-baths are only 14ft. 9in. wide to each set, so that when the widths of the bath boxes are taken off on each side, a passage-way of only 2ft. 7 in. wide remains. This applies to the first-class baths as well as the women's. Only 4.5in. walls with piers divide the ladies' and gentlemen's baths, and many of the outside main boundary- walls are only 4.5in. thick, and the principal walls of the big swimming-baths are only 9in. thick with piers. A principal staircase leading to the gallery is cut across the second-class bath at a height of 7ft. 6in. at the highestpoint, and at less than 4 ft. over one of the baths. There are no attendants' rooms to either of the three sets of slipper-baths, and there is no "control" or general towel store, so strongly demanded in the instructions, to be found anywhere. The boiler-room, engineers' shop, coal place, and engine-room are all placed 7tt. 6in.below Brayford Head, and therefore located a long way below flood level, and if this river water has to be kept out, very thick walls, not shown, would be absolutely required. If this were done, room would not remain to receive the boilers, and they could not be got in or out of the boiler-room in any case. The figured dimensions, we understand, do not bear out when the plans are scaled :

"Lincoln, May 4, 1896. To Mr. H. K. Hobb, Deputy Town Clerk, Lincoln. Lincoln Public Baths Competition. Dear Sir, We, the undersigned competitors, understanding that the award of Mr. Rowland Plumbe, the assessor, will be brought up for confirmation at the meeting of the urban sanitary authority of the city, beg leave to offer our protest against the assessor's award in placing the plans numbered 5 first in the competition. We offer this protest on the grounds that both the swimming-baths are drawn and figured on the plans of less sizes than those specified for them in the conditions and schedule of the instructions, and also that the plans are drawn in violation of the Building By-Laws of the city. There are many other evasions of the conditions and local by-laws which we need not mention here. In justification of our objection, we direct attention to clause 7 of the conditions, which states that the plana must provide all the rooms, etc., detailed in the schedule, and must contain the minimum areas and sizes therein set forth.' And clause 1 1 states ' that the plans must be in accordance with the City of Lincoln Building and Sanitary By-laws. Notwithstanding this clause, some of the outside walls are only 4.5 inches. thick, whilst others which ought to be 14in. are only 9in. thick. Clause 18 states ' that the conditions of the competition will be strictly enforced, and the designs not in compliance therewith will be excluded and returned to their authors as soon as such non-compliance has been ascertained and reported to the committee. The schedule and notes attached hereto, also the plan of the site, must all be taken to form part of the conditions and instructions to competitors.' We also direct attention to clause 3 of the schedule, which provides (when the figures there given are added together) for a second-class swimming-bath, 102ft. long by 47ft. wide, in the clear of the walls inside, whereas this bath is figured on the selected plan as 101ft. long by 46ft.wide. It is drawn, however, only about 43ft.wide at its north end, instead of 47ft. Clause 3 of the same schedule provided for a first-class swimming bath, 81ft. long by 40ft. wide, also in the clear of the walls inside, whereas this bath is figured on the plans to be only 80ft. long by 39ft.wide. We desire to point out that it is impossible to produce a plan like that selected, which shall be in accordance with the conditions, without making the reductions in the areas and sizes of the baths which we have named, because the site is not only too narrow, but too short also to admit of it. This violation of the conditions of the competition has given the authors of the plans selected considerable advantage over all the other competitors, and we are, therefore, left with no alternative but to make this protest against the award." [Building News 8 May 1896 page 691]

LINCOLN -The city council received, at their last meeting, a report from the Special Baths Committee, who stated that, after considering the protest made by some of the competing architects who furnished designs for the proposed new public baths, against the award of Mr. Rowland Plumbe, the assessor and arbitrator, they confirmed his award by which the designs of Messrs. Spalding and Cross were accepted. In compliance with the resolution of the council in committee, they had prepared a statement of the capital and annual cost of erecting and maintaining the proposed public baths, with a view of taking a vote of the ratepayers on the question of the adoption or otherwise of baths. The capital cost was estimated at £11,923 for the buildings, and £3,282 for the site of 1,760 sq. yds. After considerable discussion it was decided, notwithstanding strong protests by some members, to take a poll of the city on the question of the adoption or rejection of the entire scheme. [Building News 12 June 1896 page 877]