1885 – Ladywell Public Baths, Lewisham, London
When Ladywell Baths first opened, newspapers humourously reported that cleanliness was next to godliness as the baths were so close to the parish church. To avoid paying the water company, the baths sunk a well yielding over 8,000 gallons of water an hour. A fountain in baths grounds was topped with the coping stones of ‘ye well of our ladye at Lewisham’ which gives its name to the area and which was said to have been credited with ‘healing virtues’.
Sadly the building has sat empty for many years and lost the turret and other decorative features. The Victorian Society listed Ladywell Baths as one of 2015’s Top Ten Most Endangered Victorian and Edwardian Buildings in England and Wales.
Published August 10, 2009 | Last Updated July 5, 2016