Victorian architecture is from that era where everything was properly made, Not that I'm nostalgic for a yesteryear I never knew but any Victorian site I wander around shows the hallmarks of a job well done.
I've visited Victoria Baths a number of times now and although the baths have long shut down, they still offer regular guided tours of the place - plus their one off events are really popular and are fitting for such a grand venue. We've been before for antiques fairs, classic furniture showcases, vintage fairs and on two occasions the Indy Man Beer Con (run by the guys behind Common, The Beagle and Port St Beer House and on every October)
To enter Victoria Baths is to step foot into a labyrinth of a place, especially when you're at a beer drinking event. But this is what makes it unique in the feel that you're at some sort of house party, wandering from cavernous room to cavernous room, all offering something unique and giving you the opportunity to bump into people you haven't seen in ages.
I haven't myself been on the guided tour but my mum has been twice and she's pretty fussy when it comes to places getting it right so I'd say that's highly recommended.
The only real shame with Victoria Baths is that it's so randomly now in the middle of a Longsight housing estate, a group of houses so devoid of architectural merit that the Victoria Baths designers are likely turning over in their graves.
Still... silver linings and all that mean that if you're in the area to visit Victoria Baths, you can check out nearby Mughli for great Indian food any time of the day. read more