EXCLUSIVE: Rejuvenation works are underway at Ripon’s iconic Spa Baths

A key element in the meticulous rejuvenation works at Ripon’s iconic Spa Baths is underway.

Behind the hoardings at the Park Street site, highly experienced joiner Malcolm Foster is spending every hour of his working day repairing, restoring and replacing window frames to the very high standard required for a Grade II Listed building 🪟🔧.

Robert Sterne, whose Ripon-based investment and development company Sterne Properties Limited completed the purchase of the semi-derelict site in October 2024, told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog:

“When we acquired the building from North Yorkshire Council, it was in a poor state of repair, as could be expected for a property that had stood empty for three years, after being closed in 2021 by former owners Harrogate Borough Council.”

Painstaking attention to detail 🧰

Robert pointed out:

“The work that Malcolm is doing is helping to make the 1905 spa building watertight and we couldn’t have a better man on the job, because of his dedication and painstaking attention to detail.”

He added:

“Malcolm has been involved in a number of our regeneration projects in Ripon and Knaresborough, working alongside builder Paul Fountain, who is his son-in-law, but this will be his final piece of work for us, because he is retiring as soon as he has completed the task at Spa Baths.”

A 60-year career 👏

Malcolm, who learnt his trade at Harrogate-based housebuilder and construction contractor CK Batchelor Ltd, started out as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1966 – the year England won the World Cup ⚽️ – and went on to work for the company for almost 50 years.

He said:

“In 2020, just as the covid pandemic hit the UK, I began working with Paul on the refurbishment of the upper storeys of a building in Fishergate that is now occupied by the Martin House charity shop.

“The work, like others I was involved in for Sterne Properties at Kirkgate and above the HALLS of Ripon department store, brought redundant residential space at each of these buildings back into active use as high quality holiday lets.”

Malcolm added:

“The window work at Spa Baths has its own challenges as some of the wood is so rotten that I have had to create completely new frames to the exact specification required for a building of this historical significance.

“It’s a privilege to have a hand in the restoration of such a prestigious building and I look forward to visiting it when the entire project is complete.”

A return to Edwardian splendour through major investments 🏛️🌿

Sterne’s rejuvenation plans for Spa Baths received strong support from Ripon BID, Ripon City Council, Ripon Civic Society and, crucially, North Yorkshire Council’s Skipton and Ripon Area Planning Committee.

The £2 million hospitality and leisure-led scheme, designed by Ripon-based architect Andrew Burningham of Architecture:AB, will see the Edwardian façade returned to its former glory.

Four new-build luxury apartments to the rear of the Park Street site will, along with two commercial units, ensure the financial viability of the regeneration project.

Part of the building will be open to the public, as will a link between the former baths and the adjacent Spa Gardens 🌸 through a new courtyard area created when the 1936 pool hall is demolished.

Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst said:

“It’s fantastic to see work progressing at Spa Baths – a building that is part of the social and sporting heritage of our city.

“It is the crucial element in the reestablishment of Ripon’s stylish Spa Quarter, following the October 2023 opening by The Inn Collection Group of Ripon Inn, where a multi-million pound investment brought the former Spa Hotel building back into active use.”

Lilla added:

“As well as saving another of Ripon’s heritage assets, the introduction of commercial operators to the refurbished Spa building will add considerably to the city’s hospitality and leisure offer.”

A brief history of Spa Baths 📜

The Spa Baths were officially opened on 24 October 1905 by Princess Henry of Battenberg (Princess Beatrice), Queen Victoria’s youngest child. The building, with its fine stonework, stained glass windows and ornate tiles, is the only spa in England to be opened by royalty 👑.

Strong competition from Harrogate’s established spa facilities led to the closure of Ripon’s spa, but in the 1930s the city reconfigured the complex to introduce public swimming baths.

The baths, which opened in 1936, became a beloved community asset. Tens of thousands of Riponians – including Olympic gold medallist Jack Laugher 🥇 – learned to swim there under the guidance of the late Sylvia Grice MBE.

In November 2021, Harrogate Borough Council closed the baths ahead of the opening of the new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, which opened in March 2022.

Malcolm Foster with one of the new window frames he has made to replace a frame that was beyond repair.

The Spa Baths facade will be restored to its former glory by Sterne Properties Limited.

The Grade II listed building has major historical significance for Ripon and is one of the city’s heritage gems.

All photos credit: Tim Flanagan, Rejoicing in Ripon Blog for Ripon BID