Bathhouse Dated to England’s Industrial Revolution Uncovered

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—The Guardian reports that archaeologists from the University of Salford uncovered traces of a large Victorian bathhouse that opened in 1857 and served workers in Manchester’s textile and print industries for generations. The Italianate Mayfield baths featured ornate tiles and pools measuring more than 65 feet long. “As the city’s population boomed with factory workers, crowded and substandard living conditions gave rise to the spread of cholera and typhoid,” said archaeologist Graham Mottershead. “For those living and working around Mayfield, the Mayfield baths would have been a vital source of cleanliness and hygiene,” he explained. The building was bombed during World War II and was subsequently demolished. Tiles salvaged from the site will be preserved for future use. To read about a mid-nineteenth-century private social club and Turkish baths uncovered in Manchester, go to "World Roundup: England."