'Turkish' delights

Famous for their health benefits, so-called Turkish baths soared in popularity during the Victorian era. Today, the heat is on to protect the few that remain

- ETTIE NEIL-GALLACHER

FIRST things first: Victorian Turkish baths aren’t really Turkish. But they are really Victorian. In keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of that period, they owe their development to certain key figures as well as to the spirit of an age that saw radical development in terms of engineering, architecture and medical care. But while once there were more than 700 Turkish baths in the UK, we’re now down to single figures.

Those 700 covered the whole country: there were public ones and private ones; they were built in hospitals for pain relief and asylums for treating depression and countering mania; railway companies constructed them for their employees, and ocean liners, such as the RMS Adriatic, had them fitted. The majority were constructed during the reign of Queen Victoria, though their development continued well into the 20th century.

The few that remain show no sign of declining in popularity. The most exclusive of these is, of course, the Turkish baths at the Royal Automobile Club in London. A survey published last year found that 193 members use the baths several times a week, and a further 338 weekly. One of the most intact examples, the Turkish baths in Harrogate with their Moorish design, glazed brickwork, arabesque ceilings and terrazzo floors, once welcomed Queen Victoria’s granddaughters, and still receives around 180 visitors a day, with more coming in for treatments. The glamorous appeal of the Harrogate baths has attracted the attention of film directors, while the Porchester Spa in Queensway is reported to be popular among celebrities, with fans said to include Damon Albarn, Edward Fox and Lovejoy himself, Ian McShane.