The Health Hydro

Background and the formation of the GWR Medical Fund Society

The Great Western Railway was established in 1833 to connect Bristol and London, reaching Swindon in 1840. The opening of the principal locomotive establishment (Swindon Works) in Swindon in 1843, transformed Swindon from a small, hilltop market town into an industrial giant.

The GWR Medical Fund Society (MFS), initially the Sick Club, was established in 1847 to ‘provide Medicine and Attendance to the men employed in the Works of the GWR at Swindon and their wives and families.’ It was funded by subscriptions from each employee’s monthly wage – varying from 4d from married men to 1 1/2d from boys earning less than 10 shillings.

As the Works expanded and employed more men, the Fund grew and in 1870 a cottage hospital was established in the building now known and used as the Central Community Centre on Faringdon Road. It housed a five-bed ward, an operating room, room for post-mortems, a morgue, a dispensary and reception with formal gardens laid out to the front. 

1891-1947 - GWR Medical Fund Baths and Dispensary

The Health Hydro, built in 1891-92, was the Medical Fund Society’s most ambitious project. The washing baths were built in 1898-9; Turkish and Russian baths were added in 1904-5; further additions were made in 1911.  Initially known as ‘the Swimming Baths and Dispensary’ it was run by a committee of GWR employees, elected by their colleagues. 

The buildings are in a Queen Anne style designed by JJ Smith of Swindon. It is an enormous complex, occupying a full block, with washing baths, two swimming pools, Turkish and Russian baths in the ‘wetside’ and, a dispensary and consulting rooms for doctors, dentists and ophthalmology, chiropody, psychology and physiotherapy departments in the ‘dryside’. 

The swimming pools, with iron trusses in their roofs from the Works, look more like railway stations than pools. Nearly all of the materials from the trusses to the bricks, stained glass windows, joinery and metal door furniture were all made in the Works.

The large pool, originally for men, is 33 1/3 metres long, five lanes wide, 1 to 2 metres deep. The small pool was for women and children. Although the Russian baths have been removed, the Turkish Baths remain the oldest operating Victorian-style Turkish baths in the UK.

In 1905 there were 11 doctors, a dental surgeon, an assistant dentist and seven dispensers on the staff. There was a dispensary, washing baths, Turkish baths, a dentistry, invalid chairs, swimming baths, hairdressing and shaving salons. Membership of the Medical Fund Society was compulsory for employees of the Great Western Railway Company in the town. The Medical Fund Society was managed by a committee of its members – of which there were 15,300 in 1908 rising from 500 members 50 years earlier.

When the Works was still in operation, the swimming pool water was pumped ¾ mile to the baths from the Works. A tunnel, high enough to walk through, brought utilities including steam heating from the Works under Faringdon Road to the Hydro.

In the winter months it was not practicable to keep the pools operating and the large pool was boarded over for dances, concerts, roller-skating, boxing competitions and a Royal Hunt Ball.

During the First World War, the GWR Works were taken over for the war effort, and the MFS buildings were used as a military hospital, with the swimming pools floored over to create large hospital ward spaces; this work was reversed after 1918.

Inevitably there were challenges, notably during September 1916, when the GWR Medical Fund Society was deeply in debt and on the verge of collapse with many members away fighting and unable to pay their dues. Many MFS Management Committee members were pressing to sell the assets, pay off debts and close it down.

Others were concerned that this would remove medical care from thousands of workers. Agreement could not be found until George Brunger, a GWR Shop Steward and Union Rep, stepped in with a proposal for a special committee to be elected which would have 2 months to research potential solutions and report back to the Membership.  

The committee’s proposed solutions modernised the outdated management of the Society and reorganised the finances, putting them on a sustainable footing. George chaired the committee until 1948 when the GWR MFS was taken over by the newly formed NHS.  

1947-1986 NHS Health Centre and Milton Road Baths

After 1947 the Milton Road Health Centre took over the former GWR MFS medical facilities which had been operating in the ‘dry side’ of the building. There was a GP practice, a pharmacy, chiropodists and opticians. Many local people still remember the little brass checks issued to those waiting for doctors’ appointments downstairs.

In 1985 the Milton Road Health Centre closed and the doctors, chiropodists, pharmacists and opticians moved to a new complex in Carfax Street (since demolished). Gordon Hill, secretary of the Wilts Pharmaceutical Committee described the Milton Road Centre as ‘the oldest health centre in the world – the very first ever seen.’ 

From 1986 – the Health Hydro

At this point the Council became responsible for the whole building and carried out a refurbishment before relaunching the services as 'the Health Hydro'. The dryside consulting rooms were filled by a range of complementary medical offerings and other activities.

Acupuncture, alexander techniques, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, massage, first aid, stress management, overweight therapy, reflexology, rebirthing, yoga, number therapy plus a Well Woman Centre were all on offer. There were exercise rooms associated with the Turkish baths, with sun beds and infra-red sauna.

The large and small pools and the Turkish baths continued with swimming, canoeing, scuba diving, lifesaving and aquarobics on offer. Swimming lessons were available for adults and juniors. The small pool was particularly suitable for children and less confident swimmers.

In 1993 the tunnel between the Baths and the rail works had been flooded for some time and British Rail filled it in.

In 2014 Greenwich Leisure Ltd (trading as Better) took over the operation of all of Swindon’s leisure centres. In the Health Hydro both pools and the Turkish Baths continued to operate although the small pool was closed in January 2016.

In November 2019, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), on the advice of Historic England, designated the Health Hydro a Grade II* listing. Less than 6% of listed buildings are Grade II* designated and this means ‘it is a particularly important building of more than special interest.’ See the list entry on the Historic England website.

Useful resources

• DIA Conservation Management Plan 2018 (PDF)
• Fourth Street Viability Appraisal 2018 (PDF)
• The Vision for the Health Hydro (PDF)
• A Century of Medical Service by Bernard Darwin, available in Local Studies at Central Library or by request from the Friends of the Health Hydro
• For both recent footage of the interior of the building and historic images, view the 3-minute film produced in 2021 by Create Studios’ Mass Media Summer School