Helen Tabor swam at Ripon’s Spa Baths for the last time on the morning of November 7, 2021.
For her, it was the end of an era dating back 40 years to her pre-teenage years, when she first swam in the ornate surroundings of the former Spa.
Early riser Helen, whose son Jamie was among tens of thousands of children taught to swim in the Edwardian building by Sylvia Grice, told the Stray Ferret:
“This place is very special to me, because it was part of my life, from the age of 12.”
She added:
“For me, it was always more than a swimming pool and became a place of reflection, relaxation and regeneration, as I swam alongside fellow early morning swimmers and did my 40 lengths.”
When Ripon’s new pool at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Dallamires Lane was on the horizon, Spa Baths closed its doors in November.
For Helen, it was not the last time that she was allowed into the Grade II listed building – once centrepiece of the Ripon Spa Quarter.
She was given permission to return with her camera to to take the photographs that now appear in her 32-page picture book, which has been produced in a limited edition first print of 150 copies.
The History of Ripon Spa and baths
The Spa, was opened in 1905 by the city fathers, in a bid to bring wealthy visitors to the city and support the local economy, but up against nearby Harrogate, with its established spa reputation and patronage from the royal houses of Europe, Ripon failed to gain a foothold.
As the last Spa in England to open, Ripon had missed the boat, even with the distinction of being the only one to be granted a Royal Opening, carried out on October 24, 1905, by Princess Henry of Battenburg – Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria.
In the 1930s, the Municipal Borough of Ripon took the decision to reconfigure the spa building and create the city’s first indoor public swimming pool, which opened in 1936.
