The significance of the Health Hydro, both locally and nationally is set out within a report by Donald Insall Associates, the architects working on the Health Hydro regeneration project.
Their report highlights the importance of the Health Hydro within the wider Railway Village and how the Turkish Baths are known to be the oldest surviving, continuously working Victorian style example in Europe, one of a handful still remaining open in the UK.
It was remarkable for housing a wide range of medical and wellbeing services all under one roof, enjoyed by local people for many years before the NHS set up. As such it was a precursor to the NHS, a model which inspired Nye Bevan and William Beveridge, the creators of the NHS, over 50 years later.
The report also draws attention to the quality of the materials and craftsmanship evident in the building, with a considerable amount of the internal original fabric remaining and being preserved and repaired during the Phase 1 Works being progressed currently.
