A photograph taken in 1977 by Kath Lovatt captures the slipper baths that once stood on the corner of Bath Street and Wharf Road in Grantham town centre. The building provided a vital service to local residents at a time when most terraced houses in the area had no bathroom of their own.
How the public baths worked
People would pay a small fee to use the facility. An attendant would run a hot bath in a private cubicle for each customer, often operating the taps from outside the cubicle to prevent scalding and reduce water waste. The baths took their name from their distinctive shape — covered over at one end like a slipper — which helped keep the water warm and afforded privacy to users.
For many local families, a visit to the public baths was a weekly treat rather than an everyday occurrence.
Why the baths closed
As more homes gained their own bathrooms, demand for the public baths declined. The building was demolished a few years after the 1977 photograph was taken. The corner site has remained empty since.
