Historic Turkish baths in Sheffield on the market for £695,000

The premises on Victoria Street were once part of the Glossop Road Baths, then in 2004 became Spa 1877 following a £2 million restoration.

However, Spa 1877 closed in September, with its owner Steve Wilkinson blaming the decision on controversial bus gates on Glossop Road in the city centre which he claimed had cost the company hundreds of thousands of pounds in lost revenue.

Offers of above £695,000 are being invited in what agents Mark Jenkinson and Son describe as a ‘one-off opportunity to buy a one-off building’.

The Turkish baths first shut in 1990 after 127 years. The restoration 15 years ago revived many of the original features including mosaic flooring, glazed brick walls and arched ceilings.

Spa 1877 offered a traditional Turkish bath experience, alongside modern spa treatments.

Mohammed Mahroof, consultant chartered surveyor at Mark Jenkinson & Son, said: “There is no building like it in Sheffield – it is one of those unique historic buildings which people in the city love.

“Viewing is a must to appreciate the immaculate restoration that has been carried out to include what is believed to be the oldest Turkish suite in the country. There are also a number of rooms which provided treatments.

“This truly is a one-off opportunity to buy a one-off building and we’re expecting major interest, not least from community groups.”

In 1832 the devastating cholera outbreak in Sheffield killed 402 people, after which it was decided to build the city’s first public bathing facility, Glossop Road Baths.

“Sheffield was rather a grimy, horrible place in the 1820s and 30s," Steve Wilkinson said in 2012. “They built the first phase in 1836 to help people have a wash and to understand about illness.”

At the time, the average life expectancy stood at just 27, and diseases such as cholera, typhoid and consumption were rife. The Sheffield Bath Company Ltd was formed in 1875 and purchased the public baths for £2,500.

“When the Crimean War broke out, we were allied to Turkey, so there was a big surge in Turkish baths,” said Steve.

Steve attributed a decline in the place’s fortunes to tension between the medical establishment and practitioners of alternative therapies.

“In Victorian times doctors used to get paid to tour the town saying they would rather have people come to them.

“We’ve got a tradition of the medical professions trying to say that these alternative therapies, or holistic therapies, don’t work.”

He said the spa shut in 1990 because the main building was proving too expensive to be restored. A demonstration was held outside the Town Hall protesting against its closure and a community campaign was launched to take over the baths but was rejected.

Steve’s daunting refurbishment project involved the replacement of 25,000 hand-painted glazed bricks, which cost £5 each.

Call 0114 276 0151, email [email protected] or visit www.markjenkinson.co.uk for more information about the sale.