Researched by Heritage Advisory Group
In May 1898 a new Turkish bathhouse opened at the top of Northernhay Street on the former site of Atwills Almshouse. It comprised:‘three hot chambers and a shampooing-room, with the latest improvements in shower, douche, needle, baths abundantly served with hot and cold water, a plunge bath and capricious cooling room.’
A news report reported on the grand opening, which was attended by Exeter’s most prominent citizens. The directors, “thought they would be creating a property which would be very beneficial to the immediate neighbourhood.
There was an old adage which said that cleanliness was next to Godliness, and the directors thought that if they put the baths opposite a chapel (the Bible Christians in Northernhay Street), they would not be going very far wrong”. The audience roared with laughter and then applauded.
Unfortunately, this light-heartedness to the issue was short-lived. The chapel lawsuit on the loss of light caused by the new building put off investors. The company struggled financially for the next 10 years or so and was finally dissolved in 1909. The building remains.
