Thanks for the immediate support on this video. For any Aberdeen locals watching and sharing spots, we have a few more videos filmed with abandoned places in the city, and they will be released in the following months.
Look forward to more Aberdeen 🙂 My Mum used to run the cafe there in the 1970s , great memories.. Such a pity our council gets away with tearing the heart from the City & leaving this gem to rot.❤🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
I used to work as a lifeguard there. The mirrored room was a private gym, some of the stuff you didn’t film --on the opposite corridor was a room of old Victorian baths that the staff had to fill for the public-- in the basement was a massive old wooden Victorian laundry dryer and press for the laundry from the Turkish baths on the top floor that had a shoot that came from that third floor all the way down to a basket on wheels that when full fell down a ramp to old washing machines for the staff to wash during the day. You could also walk round the whole inside wall of the basement and look into the pool itself from underwater. Good for underwater lights but also used for synchro swimming judges to watch. In later years the fire brigade also used it for training, filling it with smoke. All the staff loved working there and wish it was still open but Aberdeen city council are shit with money and budgets and decided to close it so they could have lots of smaller pools that are mostly all shut now too. The gym equipment and spin bikes left behind is because the council never kept track of there equipment. Contact me if you want more details for a follow up film
I remember the pool lights too 🙂 Enjoyed reading your memories of it. Started swimming there at an early age.. My Mum Margaret used to run the original' cafe ' in the 1970s. I remember Mr. Taylor, the boiler room man giving tours of the place.. It was a vast area, amazed when i first saw that huge room. I believe he is still alive & well. We were lucky after closing , to be allowed to swim with just those pool lights ,in Winter it seemed surreal🌌 Wish it could be saved. 🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
Tbh Aberdeen has been shafted recently in terms of money from the Scottish government getting less than the SNP elected cities, running a city on a budget is hard you know.
Learned to swim there as a baby in 1954. Went almost every day till The seventies and moved away. Loved it. Can still smell the place and hear the noise. Great great memories
My great uncle broke his neck taking a bad dive there back in the 60s. He ended up marrying his nurse! My Granny went as a kid for a wash once a week before they had a shower installed. I was only a kid when the baths shut. Still such a shame to see the baths in such disrepair! So much history in the place. Thanks for a great video guys!
This is so sad, makes my blood boil that the council have let this decay. If it wasn’t for the ‘friends of the pool’ in another local Art Deco swimming pool it would also be flattened 😢
Wow! What a blast from the past. I remember the solar eclipse only 8th birthday (11.08.99) and doing backstroke in the pool while 2 members of staff were on the roof and blocking the main sun light above. I do hope we can save bon accord baths because there is nothing quite like it and I'm sure, like myself, many Aberdonians would ne thrilled to access it again. Just a shame theres nae the odeon next door for a movie after a chippy opposite the baths to finish a good day out!!
The room with the mirrors was Aberdeen Spartan Club, run by Alec Thompson, and set up by him and Dave Webster in 1950s. Dave went on to start the World Strongest Man competitions that are shown on TV these days. Because of his involvement, Spartan Club has had many massive stars train in it when they were in Aberdeen. People like Jon Paul Sigmarson, Geoff Capes, Bill Kazmier and “Darth Vader”. I was a key holder for the gym and it was kept locked separately from the baths themselves, and this may explain why less vandalism occurred there.
Great coverage guys - really enjoyed your walk-through. Community property like this should NEVER be allowed to be abandoned and get into this state. Shame on the council/local gov.
We always called them the Uptown Baths. Only 22 but I remember back in the day, going there to swim. It was a unique pool, I was too young at the time to appreciate it, but being able to look back at it through this video as an adult, is very humbling. A great example of architecture that no longer exists today.
Right enough - we knew it as the Uptown baths. Was the Linksfield baths & the ones in Kincorth. Dinnae mind any others but I'm sure there must have been
I remember thinking I can handle a dive of the 2nd springer. That was until I launched myself to the height of the top board and shat myself as it dawned on me I'd bitten off more than a 12 year old could chew.. The noise of my epic belly flop rang round the arena as I felt the raging pain through my body. All I could do was humbly make my way to the side of the pool as the spectators arched to get a view of this kid who might have ripped his belly open on impact. Great days! 😂
I changed my mind about jumping after I had jumped, but I grabbed onto the concrete side in a panic and was left dangling there for ages, literally holding on with my fingertips! I knew I would have to let go with my classmates all watching... gave everyone something to talk about 😂
I mind there was always a story about somebody who'd died after belly-flopping the top board! An urban myth but it's hard to imagine the fear when you were up there, looking down. As for the springer, was always feart of that - always thought I'd ping myself up in the air & then face-plant the board on the way down!
fond memories i swam in that pool many times growing uo and alway's after we had dried off we would go upstairs for an orange juice and a steaming hot scotch pie wee hp sauce aww what memories i would love to have it reopened
Love this.. Uptown baths is what we called it.. I cried at the start - hearing the familiar noise from the baths, kids playing, echoing, water - some of the best days of our lives.. 🙈.. I still went there for a swim on a sunday aged 17 with friends - after a night on town.. help get rid of our hangovers 😂😂.. My mum had many many trophies from Pro diving.. This is a national treasure.. wish it could've remained for many a kid would love it - it'd be packed even more so these days & loved by many more ! Thanks for covering this..
Thanks guys, I'm nearly 60 and have many happy memories as a schoolboy here with family and friends, I remember jumping off the 1st springboard ( springer as we called it ) but I couldn't swim,trying to catch the side of the pool with my hands but over jumped and my chin came down on it,,4 stitches lol,happy times cheers guys !!
Thank you for sharing. I went to the American School there in the 70's. Your video brings back memories of my time there. I remember my class going there to swim. I really hope someone will restore the pool.
Wow, this brings back memories. I used to go swimming here when I was a kid with my parents and sister. Was gutted when the city council closed the baths down, as were many other Aberdonians. Good few other abandoned places in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire too check out.
I remember the baths as well, and what sticks in my throat is that the City Council of the time closed it for refurbishment and the refurbished the building and the pool and then decided to not reopen it and waisted all that money, nothing new for any ACC
Great architecture as you pointed out. Hopefully they get the funding they need to save this amazing baths my only worry is the longer it left the less certain it will be saved
Fantastic memories of swimming and training in the spartan club for many happy years. This facility should be brought back into service, it is a disgrace the state it is in. So many Aberdeen family’s were brought up with attending the baths. Lovely video, thank you guys for the memories. Also many thanks to a work colleague for telling me about this Mike Cordiner.
Wonderful and as a lad I swam there many times. I remember how terrified I was the first time I jumped from the top board as a young lad of 8. The memories were wonderful. Thank you.
Great video guys👍 i used to go every Saturday morning in the 70s. Im sure the changing rooms had curtains earlier on and remember the stink of chlorine in there. I remember having a quick scotch pie upstairs for lunch and when older use to use the turkish baths and freezing cold plunge pool. Good times tho. We need a huge fundraiser to bring some of life back into this building.
I am obsessed with your videos, some great finds and you are very respectful which is so nice to see. Please come back to Scotland and find more awesome places like this. Can’t wait for more content.
Truely devastating to see our much loved baths in such a abandoned state. I used to train twice a week in this pool with the City of Aberdeen Swim Team and also Aberdeen Dolphins swim team. It was the most beautiful building, i can still remember climbing those stairs, we used to do conditioning training up in the studio where the mirrors are, lovely to see that they have been untouched. The pool itself was a nightmare to train in, unless they used the anti turbulence ropes the swell used to make you have to work twice as hard!!! For competitions they had a boom fitted to make it 25m because the pool fell short of 50m! The yearly competition in thr Bon Accord Baths was called The Mitchel Trophy, every club wanted to win that meet!! Thank you so much for sharing this and showing your appreciation for what is an incredible bit of architecture, its sad that our city has let this building down.
Very cool. I went to school nearby and used the pool a few times a month when I was wee, and used the fitness room loads in my late teens / early 20s. Was never brave enough to use the top diving board though! Such a shame the council has allowed this amazing building to get in such a state
My local pool in Elderslie, Renfrewshire was demolished years ago I worked there as a pool attendant for 10 years. Great memories of the staff and customers some who have sadly passed now but I still think back and strongly have many dreams I’m back there. I still have my whistle from when walking around the pool all 32 years later. I so wish I had gotten photographs of it inside before it’s demise.
Thank you for mKing this video. I arrived in 2000 and lived near by. I went to bon-accord bath regularly for proper swim and fell in love with the building. I was very sad when it closed and destroyed. We don’t have the same grand architecture like this anymore. If the council protected it....
Some good memories there it's where we went for swimming with school and the wonky eyed mannie used to push you under with a pole to make you swim. The cafe had good tasty pies. At one time where the saunas etc were there were baths people without bathrooms in the 40s - 60s who had no bath went there. The council did it up put in the hymn then closed it right away. The community group have been trying to buy it but the council keep putting up barriers. It was great just floating away in the light there.
Amazing! Such happy memories at the baths. There was a guy that used to hold us breath and sit at the bottom of the deep end and I was in awe of him. Remember a lady asking me as I left the changing room when I was about 8 if there were two loons in there and had no idea what she was asking me! Hope it comes back. Thanks for sharing this
Fantastic coverage guys of what was once a popular social outlet for many Aberdonians. Myself and my 5 siblings were brought up in Aberdeen 50’s-60’s and had many enjoyable times at “the baths” with our pals. It was great to look at it again and recollect many memories. As has been said elsewhere, disgusted that this magnificent building has been left so derelict, shame on those responsible. Thanks fellas.
Bringing back memories. We lived on Holborn street in the flats in front of the college. The flats had no bathrooms in them, just a toilet on the landing that everyone had to share. To get a shower you need to go up to here for it. This was before the council moved us due to college behind us was close to falling down.Definitely on my list to get a look in. Looking forward to your other videos of Aberdeen. Hooked now and rewatching your previous videos
Went here every weekend as a kid, such a shame that the council let an amazing building go to shit, would have preferred them to be sitting in portacabins instead of giving themselves yet another beautiful building to work from... while the rest of the city turns to shit.
I love this explore guys, my favourite leisure centre you have filmed. I adore the art deco design, so much natural light and those old school hanging lights were awesome. Pity about the graffiti damage in the pool. Thanks for sharing guys, an amazing watch :)
I remember learning to swim at the Bon-Accord baths in with my late father and was a member of one of the many swimming clubs that was held there, it has been a great loss to the city , it is also an Olympic sized swimming pool. There was a plan at one point a few years ago to try and purchase the building and to try and ra5the funds to get it back up and running, but looking at your video it will take a fortune to get it back up and Running.
Sakes. I used to swim there back in the day...by which I mean around 1998-2000. Thanks for making me feel old. Great job Aberdeen City Council. Great video!
fab video guys thanks for doing this. Centres like this have been killed off by obsessive HSE. When we were children we would go to swimming pools without adults and have loads of fun. Kicked out of the house every Sat afternoon and invariable late home for supper leaving only when the lifeguards checked out fingers and chucked us out. All such fun has been driven out of the experience/ Only the children of well off folks get to go swimming these days.
Now that just brought back a wave of emotion's my child hood spent in that building,like so many other aberdonian's.what a waste, i hope there's a good outcome for the uptoon bath's.
Spent a lot of time swimming in there in the 80s when I was a child. I remember they tried to update things without really doing much, like the stuff they left behind to rot along with the building. Sad to see so little being done to save this place as it has so much history.
Great video, I visited the baths when I lived in Aberdeen. Couldn’t believe it’s been that long since it closed & such a shame to see it in that state now to how i remembered it all those years ago.
Thank you for taking us on your journey to other abandoned buildings The amount of vandalism that has occurred here its really sad so much history has occurred here but so much neglect Thank you for respecting the places that you visit
Spent many days as a kid swimming in the pool. Never knew about the plunge pool upstairs. You made mention of the old pool/baths at the beach which I believe are still underground. Don’t know how you get in them though. Thanks for making and sharing this
Happy memories of swimming here as a child with the local school and Aunt and Uncle and cousins on a Sunday morning. It was always busy. Being about a foot short of being Olympic sized it missed out on hosting some major events. I worked here as an adult too, as an Indoor Leisure Officer. Makes me so sad to see the Baths like this but realise it could be a lot worse. I believe the building is still heated to avoid further decay. Hopefully one day she will be a vibrant hub for the community. I wonder if those amazing stone baths are still there. A great video, thank you.
Hi Guys what a absolutely fantastic Art-Deco swimming baths and adjoining rooms within it I especially liked the cream and green tiles bath area it was amazing a truly magnificent Gem to see on looking on the whole most of the building most of it was great shape with hardly no damage only a bit of graffiti and natural decay I just hope it’s stays that way until someone has plan’s to reopen it to it’s former glory well done on presenting historical information 👌😊
I live just up the road from this. Walked past it so many times I’ve lost count. Its criminal that this has been left to ruin. It was, and still could be, the thriving center of a community but it was ripped away from one of us. The council have a lot to answer for, and I’m sure that our community will never forgive them for this. There’s still a lot of anger and hostility about what’s happened, but also a sense of defeat. There were hard fights to keep it open. To rescue it. To restore it. All failed no matter what. They stole from us the center of our community.
Great filming & done with respect 👍🏻 New sub.👍🏻 Sad to see graffiti & fires 😥 So many happy memories here.. My Mum used to run that original cafe , beneath the look out you were standing. Annie Lennox of Eurythmics used to work there after school, serving pies & drinks. A very quiet girl. Back in the 1970s , it was a great atmosphere, I was taught to swim by a Gordon Highlander soldier called Frankie 🙂🙌🏻 At night , the boiler room man , would let us all swim with the just pool lights on. A magical time ❤ Sad Aberdeen Council get away with tearing heart from the City & leaving this gem to rot. 😥 🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
I live hundreds of miles away from Aberdeen in Truro, Cornwall, but remember going there once in the 1980s. It's just a shame that big swimming pools all over Britain have closed down.
As a child growing up in the late 70's and 80's the Uptown Baths were amazing. It saddens me to see how it is now as it holds so many good memories for me. Used to love having a sausage roll in the cafe after swimming. There was a few urban myths about folk who had dived off the top board only to come a cropper.
Used to love going here. Used to stay in the pool for hours. As a kid had no idea it had half of the other stuff on offer. Such a shame to see it falling apart
These baths are amazing design wise. I swam here a few times in the mid 90s then I completely forgot about these baths until recently. When I decided to look it up online I predicted that it was probably shut because I come to expect that from old, but beautiful swimming pools and I was right. The council should be ashamed
I'm from New Zealand but my Scottish parents moved us back to Aberdeen for my teenage years. This is the pool my school used. I loved it so much I used to go every day. Met my first boyfriend here. Had my first kiss here. Thirty years on, I'm saddened to see what has become of such a magnificent building.
In the early 90’s I used to work at a youth centre that was housed in a former baths, after the community space it was in was used for an international sporting event. The children used to love to play football in the empty pool, but no-one wanted to be in the team at the deep end!
As a child we used to go and visit my Grandmother in Aberdeen, she lived in a tenement flat on George Street, it was like a summer holiday really as we lived near Glasgow so Aberdeen was an exciting sea side town to me. I used to go swimming at the pool in the early 1970s, my dad took me there, it was an amazing place, I have really happy memories of it, so sad to see it derelict and abandoned. Actually on that same street as the swimming baths and almost next door was an art deco cinema, don't know if that is still there, been a long time since I've been back to Aberdeen as I've spent my adult life living and working in London, maybe 35 years at least.
Thankfully it doesn't look anything like this now, it's been secured and a lot of work to bring it back. The charity is waiting for lottery funding now
Another great video - just one note; the building will be absolutely riddled with asbestos but you should be safe so long as you dont interfere with any of the decay.
Was born and brought up in Aberdeen, used to go here every day during school holidays. Still proud of the fact I jumped from the top board when I was 12, really sad to see it in this state.
I love the history of this place. I wonder if it's a listed building due to having its original foundation stone etc. Urbex Swimming pools sort of freak me out a bit. . I don't know why but the perspective of the empty pools give me the chilllllls
My father Alexander McRobie was one of the architects who designed these baths. So sad to see the decay. There was no expense spared in the design and build originally. What happened in the time since?!!
Took my kids there a couple of times. Aside from the high diving board, which they were not allowed to use, they were unimpressed. Peeling paint and dated facilities meant that we used other public pools in preference. Architecturally however, I recall being fascinated by the building.
Great explore, what an amazing place. I've stayed in a hotel on the same street, but didn't know about the old baths. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Thanks for the immediate support on this video. For any Aberdeen locals watching and sharing spots, we have a few more videos filmed with abandoned places in the city, and they will be released in the following months.
0:34 hahaaha thumbs up if you know who she is
Nice video. I never knew this in the city until now. Spectacular, such a shame to see it slowly turn to rubble.
Would like to see the exterior also. Consider for future?
Did you go see Tarlair Swimming Pool opened in 1931 at the base of a sea cliff just outside Macduff while you were up there? It’s also abandoned.
Look forward to more Aberdeen 🙂
My Mum used to run the cafe there in the 1970s , great memories..
Such a pity our council gets away with tearing the heart from the City & leaving this gem to rot.❤🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
I used to work as a lifeguard there. The mirrored room was a private gym, some of the stuff you didn’t film --on the opposite corridor was a room of old Victorian baths that the staff had to fill for the public-- in the basement was a massive old wooden Victorian laundry dryer and press for the laundry from the Turkish baths on the top floor that had a shoot that came from that third floor all the way down to a basket on wheels that when full fell down a ramp to old washing machines for the staff to wash during the day. You could also walk round the whole inside wall of the basement and look into the pool itself from underwater. Good for underwater lights but also used for synchro swimming judges to watch. In later years the fire brigade also used it for training, filling it with smoke. All the staff loved working there and wish it was still open but Aberdeen city council are shit with money and budgets and decided to close it so they could have lots of smaller pools that are mostly all shut now too. The gym equipment and spin bikes left behind is because the council never kept track of there equipment. Contact me if you want more details for a follow up film
Didn't answer you
I remember the pool lights too 🙂 Enjoyed reading your memories of it.
Started swimming there at an early age.. My Mum Margaret used to run the original' cafe ' in the 1970s.
I remember Mr. Taylor, the boiler room man giving tours of the place.. It was a vast area, amazed when i first saw that huge room.
I believe he is still alive & well. We were lucky after closing , to be allowed to swim with just those pool lights ,in Winter it seemed surreal🌌
Wish it could be saved. 🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
Thank you for sharing some of this info, we greatly appreciate it :)
Tbh Aberdeen has been shafted recently in terms of money from the Scottish government getting less than the SNP elected cities, running a city on a budget is hard you know.
Criminal that Aberdeen council allowed this beautiful pool to shut down.
Learned to swim there as a baby in 1954. Went almost every day till The seventies and moved away. Loved it. Can still smell the place and hear the noise. Great great memories
Aberdeen council at its finest! Next year you will be able to film abandoned union st
Spent many a happy time there during my childhood! What a waste of a great facility and huge part of Aberdeens history!
💯
I wish I could see the place
Absolutely criminal that this place was shut down and forgotten.
My great uncle broke his neck taking a bad dive there back in the 60s. He ended up marrying his nurse!
My Granny went as a kid for a wash once a week before they had a shower installed.
I was only a kid when the baths shut. Still such a shame to see the baths in such disrepair! So much history in the place.
Thanks for a great video guys!
Hey don’t know if you’ll see this but what was your great uncle’s name ?
My father was paralysed after an accident in the pool and married my mother who was a nurse would love too hear from you
@@lynneingram5583 Hi there - his name was Peter. Did your Dad get injured at this pool too?
Oh wow that’s my dad Peter murray were speaking about the same person
@@lynneingram5583no way lol. I am an Aberdonian as well and I though it was quite cool reading this!
This is so sad, makes my blood boil that the council have let this decay. If it wasn’t for the ‘friends of the pool’ in another local Art Deco swimming pool it would also be flattened 😢
Wow! What a blast from the past. I remember the solar eclipse only 8th birthday (11.08.99) and doing backstroke in the pool while 2 members of staff were on the roof and blocking the main sun light above. I do hope we can save bon accord baths because there is nothing quite like it and I'm sure, like myself, many Aberdonians would ne thrilled to access it again. Just a shame theres nae the odeon next door for a movie after a chippy opposite the baths to finish a good day out!!
The room with the mirrors was Aberdeen Spartan Club, run by Alec Thompson, and set up by him and Dave Webster in 1950s. Dave went on to start the World Strongest Man competitions that are shown on TV these days. Because of his involvement, Spartan Club has had many massive stars train in it when they were in Aberdeen. People like Jon Paul Sigmarson, Geoff Capes, Bill Kazmier and “Darth Vader”. I was a key holder for the gym and it was kept locked separately from the baths themselves, and this may explain why less vandalism occurred there.
Great coverage guys - really enjoyed your walk-through. Community property like this should NEVER be allowed to be abandoned and get into this state. Shame on the council/local gov.
Thank you very much - it is very sad to see it in this form
We always called them the Uptown Baths. Only 22 but I remember back in the day, going there to swim. It was a unique pool, I was too young at the time to appreciate it, but being able to look back at it through this video as an adult, is very humbling. A great example of architecture that no longer exists today.
We’re glad the video took you back!
Right enough - we knew it as the Uptown baths. Was the Linksfield baths & the ones in Kincorth. Dinnae mind any others but I'm sure there must have been
Loved that pool. After the Beach Baths, we thought it was wonderful! Very sad, yet very beautiful. So very poignant.
It’s such a beautiful building, the architecture amazed us
I remember thinking I can handle a dive of the 2nd springer. That was until I launched myself to the height of the top board and shat myself as it dawned on me I'd bitten off more than a 12 year old could chew.. The noise of my epic belly flop rang round the arena as I felt the raging pain through my body. All I could do was humbly make my way to the side of the pool as the spectators arched to get a view of this kid who might have ripped his belly open on impact. Great days! 😂
I’ve shat mesen just reading that!!
rich stephen thank goodness you didn’t have any balls,otherwise they’d be around your ears!😆
I changed my mind about jumping after I had jumped, but I grabbed onto the concrete side in a panic and was left dangling there for ages, literally holding on with my fingertips! I knew I would have to let go with my classmates all watching... gave everyone something to talk about 😂
I mind there was always a story about somebody who'd died after belly-flopping the top board! An urban myth but it's hard to imagine the fear when you were up there, looking down. As for the springer, was always feart of that - always thought I'd ping myself up in the air & then face-plant the board on the way down!
fond memories i swam in that pool many times growing uo and alway's after we had dried off we would go upstairs for an orange juice and a steaming hot scotch pie wee hp sauce aww what memories i would love to have it reopened
We’re glad the video took you back to memories :)
Love this.. Uptown baths is what we called it..
I cried at the start - hearing the familiar noise from the baths, kids playing, echoing, water - some of the best days of our lives.. 🙈.. I still went there for a swim on a sunday aged 17 with friends - after a night on town.. help get rid of our hangovers 😂😂..
My mum had many many trophies from Pro diving..
This is a national treasure.. wish it could've remained for many a kid would love it - it'd be packed even more so these days & loved by many more !
Thanks for covering this..
Thanks guys, I'm nearly 60 and have many happy memories as a schoolboy here with family and friends, I remember jumping off the 1st springboard ( springer as we called it ) but I couldn't swim,trying to catch the side of the pool with my hands but over jumped and my chin came down on it,,4 stitches lol,happy times cheers guys !!
Thank you for sharing. I went to the American School there in the 70's. Your video brings back memories of my time there. I remember my class going there to swim. I really hope someone will restore the pool.
Wow, this brings back memories. I used to go swimming here when I was a kid with my parents and sister. Was gutted when the city council closed the baths down, as were many other Aberdonians. Good few other abandoned places in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire too check out.
I remember the baths as well, and what sticks in my throat is that the City Council of the time closed it for refurbishment and the refurbished the building and the pool and then decided to not reopen it and waisted all that money, nothing new for any ACC
I went every sat with a hangover then to subway afterwards lol, and I heard it's opening again
Great architecture as you pointed out. Hopefully they get the funding they need to save this amazing baths my only worry is the longer it left the less certain it will be saved
Fantastic memories of swimming and training in the spartan club for many happy years. This facility should be brought back into service, it is a disgrace the state it is in. So many Aberdeen family’s were brought up with attending the baths. Lovely video, thank you guys for the memories. Also many thanks to a work colleague for telling me about this Mike Cordiner.
Wonderful and as a lad I swam there many times. I remember how terrified I was the first time I jumped from the top board as a young lad of 8. The memories were wonderful. Thank you.
Great video guys👍 i used to go every Saturday morning in the 70s. Im sure the changing rooms had curtains earlier on and remember the stink of chlorine in there. I remember having a quick scotch pie upstairs for lunch and when older use to use the turkish baths and freezing cold plunge pool. Good times tho. We need a huge fundraiser to bring some of life back into this building.
Brings back memories of swimming there as a child. Loved it there. 😥
I am obsessed with your videos, some great finds and you are very respectful which is so nice to see. Please come back to Scotland and find more awesome places like this. Can’t wait for more content.
We have much more content to share from recent Scotland trips, as well as more future trips planned to, we can’t get away!
Truely devastating to see our much loved baths in such a abandoned state. I used to train twice a week in this pool with the City of Aberdeen Swim Team and also Aberdeen Dolphins swim team. It was the most beautiful building, i can still remember climbing those stairs, we used to do conditioning training up in the studio where the mirrors are, lovely to see that they have been untouched. The pool itself was a nightmare to train in, unless they used the anti turbulence ropes the swell used to make you have to work twice as hard!!! For competitions they had a boom fitted to make it 25m because the pool fell short of 50m! The yearly competition in thr Bon Accord Baths was called The Mitchel Trophy, every club wanted to win that meet!! Thank you so much for sharing this and showing your appreciation for what is an incredible bit of architecture, its sad that our city has let this building down.
It’s such an amazing structure - hard not to appreciate the stunning design when you’re inside :)
Thanks for this lovely building hope it can be restored soon. Love the stair rails at 5.58 just so art deco
Very cool. I went to school nearby and used the pool a few times a month when I was wee, and used the fitness room loads in my late teens / early 20s. Was never brave enough to use the top diving board though!
Such a shame the council has allowed this amazing building to get in such a state
Loved swimming in the Bon Accord baths. The building deserves to be saved.
Very good and sympathetic review. Thank you for your excellent work.
My local pool in Elderslie, Renfrewshire was demolished years ago I worked there as a pool attendant for 10 years. Great memories of the staff and customers some who have sadly passed now but I still think back and strongly have many dreams I’m back there.
I still have my whistle from when walking around the pool all 32 years later.
I so wish I had gotten photographs of it inside before it’s demise.
Thank you for mKing this video. I arrived in 2000 and lived near by. I went to bon-accord bath regularly for proper swim and fell in love with the building. I was very sad when it closed and destroyed. We don’t have the same grand architecture like this anymore. If the council protected it....
Some good memories there it's where we went for swimming with school and the wonky eyed mannie used to push you under with a pole to make you swim. The cafe had good tasty pies. At one time where the saunas etc were there were baths people without bathrooms in the 40s - 60s who had no bath went there. The council did it up put in the hymn then closed it right away. The community group have been trying to buy it but the council keep putting up barriers. It was great just floating away in the light there.
Amazing! Such happy memories at the baths. There was a guy that used to hold us breath and sit at the bottom of the deep end and I was in awe of him. Remember a lady asking me as I left the changing room when I was about 8 if there were two loons in there and had no idea what she was asking me! Hope it comes back. Thanks for sharing this
Fantastic coverage guys of what was once a popular social outlet for many Aberdonians. Myself and my 5 siblings were brought up in Aberdeen 50’s-60’s and had many enjoyable times at “the baths” with our pals. It was great to look at it again and recollect many memories. As has been said elsewhere, disgusted that this magnificent building has been left so derelict, shame on those responsible. Thanks fellas.
Bringing back memories. We lived on Holborn street in the flats in front of the college. The flats had no bathrooms in them, just a toilet on the landing that everyone had to share. To get a shower you need to go up to here for it. This was before the council moved us due to college behind us was close to falling down.Definitely on my list to get a look in.
Looking forward to your other videos of Aberdeen. Hooked now and rewatching your previous videos
We have a lot of videos to look back on! Good luck :)
Went here every weekend as a kid, such a shame that the council let an amazing building go to shit, would have preferred them to be sitting in portacabins instead of giving themselves yet another beautiful building to work from... while the rest of the city turns to shit.
Gemz Jamieson ,quite true, as long as they sit in Marshall Collage, they are not caring, now the pedestrianisation ofUnion Street, what next.
I love this explore guys, my favourite leisure centre you have filmed. I adore the art deco design, so much natural light and those old school hanging lights were awesome. Pity about the graffiti damage in the pool.
Thanks for sharing guys, an amazing watch :)
Appreciate it, we are glad you enjoyed our coverage. We agree - it was the best we have seen
I remember learning to swim at the Bon-Accord baths in with my late father and was a member of one of the many swimming clubs that was held there, it has been a great loss to the city , it is also an Olympic sized swimming pool. There was a plan at one point a few years ago to try and purchase the building and to try and ra5the funds to get it back up and running, but looking at your video it will take a fortune to get it back up and Running.
Sakes. I used to swim there back in the day...by which I mean around 1998-2000. Thanks for making me feel old. Great job Aberdeen City Council. Great video!
fab video guys thanks for doing this. Centres like this have been killed off by obsessive HSE. When we were children we would go to swimming pools without adults and have loads of fun. Kicked out of the house every Sat afternoon and invariable late home for supper leaving only when the lifeguards checked out fingers and chucked us out. All such fun has been driven out of the experience/ Only the children of well off folks get to go swimming these days.
We’re glad you enjoyed it :)
Now that just brought back a wave of emotion's my child hood spent in that building,like so many other aberdonian's.what a waste, i hope there's a good outcome for the uptoon bath's.
So do we!
Spent a lot of time swimming in there in the 80s when I was a child. I remember they tried to update things without really doing much, like the stuff they left behind to rot along with the building. Sad to see so little being done to save this place as it has so much history.
From Aberdeen and spent many happy childhood moments at this pool.
Many fond memories of swimming there, sad to see it so abandoned.
I used to be here all the time as a kid; great memories, even at the time I thought it was a very special place.
I have a lot of Happy memories of this place ❤️😀
As usual top quality video lad. The new style of editing and filming is starting to come together very well shown very well in this documentation.
Thank you pal, glad it appears that way
Great video, I visited the baths when I lived in Aberdeen. Couldn’t believe it’s been that long since it closed & such a shame to see it in that state now to how i remembered it all those years ago.
Really good video and brings back lots of memories. The plunge pool was so nice and I used to go regularly when I was a student.
Another brilliant vid. Awesome location with such an amazing history to it. Really interesting Explore. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it, no problem!
Cool vid guys! Nice bit of architecture, the entrance lobby is gorgeous
Agreed! It’s amazing, thank you guys
I had no idea this massive complex was in the city cheers dude!
I remember my sister taking me mid/late 90,s and thinking the place was huge. Nice seeing inside again, sad it’s been left to get in such a mess!
Aww thanks for this video! I used to go swimming here every Thursday with my school pals. So many great memories here ❤️
Incredible space. I'm a swimmer and would definitely love to swim in there. Well presented. Thanks. Mark
Thank you :)
@@Urbandoned Pleasure.
Great video, well done guys!👌🏼X
Thank you :)
Thank you for taking us on your journey to other abandoned buildings
The amount of vandalism that has occurred here its really sad so much history has occurred here but so much neglect
Thank you for respecting the places that you visit
Excellent explore love reading everyone's comments of there memories there xx
Thank you - we do too :)
I would visit every weekend if they opened this place up again.
Thank you for sharing it was a lovely swimming pool 😊
Used to go swimming here at 6am before work, amazing building, tragedy the way it’s been neglected
Letting anywhere as special as the baths fall into such a state of disrepair is very sad
Spent many days as a kid swimming in the pool. Never knew about the plunge pool upstairs. You made mention of the old pool/baths at the beach which I believe are still underground. Don’t know how you get in them though. Thanks for making and sharing this
Happy memories of swimming here as a child with the local school and Aunt and Uncle and cousins on a Sunday morning. It was always busy. Being about a foot short of being Olympic sized it missed out on hosting some major events. I worked here as an adult too, as an Indoor Leisure Officer. Makes me so sad to see the Baths like this but realise it could be a lot worse. I believe the building is still heated to avoid further decay. Hopefully one day she will be a vibrant hub for the community. I wonder if those amazing stone baths are still there. A great video, thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it and it brought back good memories :)
Hi Guys what a absolutely fantastic Art-Deco swimming baths and adjoining rooms within it I especially liked the cream and green tiles bath area it was amazing a truly magnificent Gem to see on looking on the whole most of the building most of it was great shape with hardly no damage only a bit of graffiti and natural decay I just hope it’s stays that way until someone has plan’s to reopen it to it’s former glory well done on presenting historical information 👌😊
Thank you so much - we appreciate the kind message :)
I live just up the road from this. Walked past it so many times I’ve lost count. Its criminal that this has been left to ruin. It was, and still could be, the thriving center of a community but it was ripped away from one of us. The council have a lot to answer for, and I’m sure that our community will never forgive them for this. There’s still a lot of anger and hostility about what’s happened, but also a sense of defeat. There were hard fights to keep it open. To rescue it. To restore it. All failed no matter what. They stole from us the center of our community.
Amazing but so sad to see this building going to waste. Spent many hours swimming there
Great filming & done with respect 👍🏻 New sub.👍🏻 Sad to see graffiti & fires 😥
So many happy memories here.. My Mum used to run that original cafe , beneath the look out you were standing.
Annie Lennox of Eurythmics used to work there after school, serving pies & drinks. A very quiet girl.
Back in the 1970s , it was a great atmosphere, I was taught to swim by a Gordon Highlander soldier called Frankie 🙂🙌🏻
At night , the boiler room man , would let us all swim with the just pool lights on. A magical time ❤
Sad Aberdeen Council get away with tearing heart from the City & leaving this gem to rot. 😥 🐱♏☯️🌌🏴
Thank you - we were sad to see the negatives inside such as the vandalism and arson attacks too.
So sad seeing this loved "up town" baths many memories made here including jumping from high board.
I live hundreds of miles away from Aberdeen in Truro, Cornwall, but remember going there once in the 1980s. It's just a shame that big swimming pools all over Britain have closed down.
I learned to dive there in the 90's and regularly used the baths when at school, would be fantastic to see them saved if at all possiable
As a child growing up in the late 70's and 80's the Uptown Baths were amazing. It saddens me to see how it is now as it holds so many good memories for me. Used to love having a sausage roll in the cafe after swimming. There was a few urban myths about folk who had dived off the top board only to come a cropper.
I was in there as a kid every day of the school holidays ,it was packed and full of life . It's a shame it's closed.
Thanks for this. I was a regular swimmer there. Still so disappointed it was allowed to get into this state.
Used to love going here. Used to stay in the pool for hours. As a kid had no idea it had half of the other stuff on offer. Such a shame to see it falling apart
Spent loads of time here as a kid, did a few demos with the Crazy Gang at Galas. Great times, great architecture.
These baths are amazing design wise. I swam here a few times in the mid 90s then I completely forgot about these baths until recently. When I decided to look it up online I predicted that it was probably shut because I come to expect that from old, but beautiful swimming pools and I was right. The council should be ashamed
5:48 That handrail is so Art Deco 👌🏼
I'm from New Zealand but my Scottish parents moved us back to Aberdeen for my teenage years. This is the pool my school used. I loved it so much I used to go every day. Met my first boyfriend here. Had my first kiss here. Thirty years on, I'm saddened to see what has become of such a magnificent building.
Saying that this place closed is very sad because sometimes I walk past it and I want to have a swim there
In the early 90’s I used to work at a youth centre that was housed in a former baths, after the community space it was in was used for an international sporting event.
The children used to love to play football in the empty pool, but no-one wanted to be in the team at the deep end!
We were speaking about this last week and you put this up 😊
Great to see should have been saved from closure same as the beach baths
As a child we used to go and visit my Grandmother in Aberdeen, she lived in a tenement flat on George Street, it was like a summer holiday really as we lived near Glasgow so Aberdeen was an exciting sea side town to me. I used to go swimming at the pool in the early 1970s, my dad took me there, it was an amazing place, I have really happy memories of it, so sad to see it derelict and abandoned. Actually on that same street as the swimming baths and almost next door was an art deco cinema, don't know if that is still there, been a long time since I've been back to Aberdeen as I've spent my adult life living and working in London, maybe 35 years at least.
I remember spending about 6 hours in the pool a few days a week during the school holidays
Thankfully it doesn't look anything like this now, it's been secured and a lot of work to bring it back. The charity is waiting for lottery funding now
That was amazing! Such a shame we lost our town baths.
Thank you for the kind comment
Another great video - just one note; the building will be absolutely riddled with asbestos but you should be safe so long as you dont interfere with any of the decay.
I used to go there as a kid absolutely stunning baths back in the day so sad to see it crumbling before our eyes 😢😢 very well documented guys 👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you :)
Was born and brought up in Aberdeen, used to go here every day during school holidays. Still proud of the fact I jumped from the top board when I was 12, really sad to see it in this state.
Very happy memories of this pool. It was the best one in the country. This brought it all back. Heartbreaking to see it like this.
Jumping off the top board felt like a real childhood rite-of-passage
This is where I learned to swim in the 80s ❤️
An amazing video! Wish i knew about some of these types of places in the us.
I love the history of this place. I wonder if it's a listed building due to having its original foundation stone etc. Urbex Swimming pools sort of freak me out a bit. . I don't know why but the perspective of the empty pools give me the chilllllls
Lovely Art Deco. Geoletrical, perhaps, but combines geomertric shapes with sensible structire.
oh bro!!! this was amazing great work i love it !!! keep up the great work !!! just wow amazing video
Appreciate it mate
My father Alexander McRobie was one of the architects who designed these baths. So sad to see the decay. There was no expense spared in the design and build originally. What happened in the time since?!!
Took my kids there a couple of times. Aside from the high diving board, which they were not allowed to use, they were unimpressed. Peeling paint and dated facilities meant that we used other public pools in preference. Architecturally however, I recall being fascinated by the building.
Great explore, what an amazing place.
I've stayed in a hotel on the same street, but didn't know about the old baths.
Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Thank you, you too
When did they remove the Turkish baths from the top floor as that was so beautiful and authentic!
That place was awesome. Thanks for sharing the explore 😃👍
No problem, glad you liked it
I live at Justice Mill Brae AB11 6EY. Many thanks for this video. Why not start up these baths?