Macclesfield Baths and Washhouses in the Nineteenth Century

Speaker: Dr Sarah Griffiths, Managing Editor, University of Chester Press
Date and Time: Wednesday, 4th March, 4 pm,
Location: Wheeler, Chester
Room: CRV 012

Workers with ‘necks as white as snow’: Macclesfield Baths and Washhouses in the Nineteenth Century.

A key part of the national campaign to improve sanitary conditions in urban areas was the national public baths and washhouses movement, which resulted in the Public Baths and Wash-houses Acts of 1846 and 1847. Macclesfield had grown to become the leading centre of the English silk industry by the mid nineteenth century, which led to severe pressure on the town’s services. Macclesfield’s Baths and Washhouses opened in 1850 and so it was one of the first provincial towns after Liverpool to gain these facilities. This talk will explore the baths and washhouses movement, the impact of industrialisation on Macclesfield, the history of the town’s Baths and Washhouses and the many people involved in its development.

All are welcome to attend these in-person talks. Booking is encouraged for refreshment and seating purposes and in case there are any last-minute changes (contact details below). Please check the event listings for updates to the programme: www.chester.ac.uk/events (scroll down to see the individual events). Access to the event venue is via a flight of steps. For those with limited mobility, there is an accessible route and please pre-book to arrange this access. fhsc.histsoc@chester.ac.uk or 01244 512963.