Baths stones precious to our heritage

Heritage stones on Royton Baths to be saved and restored. PRESERVATION plans . . . Dale Hughes (D Hughes Demolition), right, and Councillors Marie and Steven Bashforth

PLANS to save and restore the historic stones marking the entrance to the former Royton Baths have been put in place.

The swimming pool originally opened on March 12, 1910, making the stones more than a century old and a part of Royton’s history.

However the baths, which became Royton Sports Centre in 1993 when a sports hall was added, is to be demolished and turned into a car park for the new Royton Leisure Centre, which opened in September.

The stones, which include a Royton Crest and impressive archway, are to be carefully removed from the Park Road sports centre.

Royton South Councillor Steven Bashforth asked the demolition experts to take extra care when removing the arch and stone detailing from the front of the building, and hopes they could be used again in the town.

The Labour councillor said: “These stones and ornate carvings are over 100 years old and I think it would be a shame to lose them.

“We are hoping that they can be removed from the building without being damaged and preserved for the future.

“A lot of residents have already asked about how we could save the history of the building and the stones have received a lot of interest.

“It would be great to see them reused somewhere else in Royton, perhaps close to the new sports centre as a way of linking the old and the new.