Category: Uncategorized

    

Like many club men all through the country, Ian has served his time on the committee having been Edinburgh Southern secretary/treasurer for 12 years before the formation of City of Edinburgh and had also been club President in 1975.   After the amalgamation with Edinburgh AC in 1996 his experience was put to good use when he was the track & field team manager in the British Athletics League – a spell which took the club from Division Three to Division One in consecutive years.  When they amalgamated with EAC to form City of Edinburgh Ian took on the role of Track & Field manager for a period of two years and was successful in helping to achieve promotion to Division 1.  During that period I worked in conjunction with the Scottish Athletics League and Forth Valley league managers to ensure that any athlete performing well was considered for selection to the BAL team.   

Ian McKenzie with glasses and beard: Number 1 is Donald Ritchie of Aberdeen AAC and his team-mate Steve Taylor (Number 3). Number 33 is Eric Fisher of  Edinburgh AC.

As we have seen, Ian came into the sport as a 12 year old but because of the rules at the time, there was no national championship for Under 13’s, they didn’t come until 1969.   His first national was at the then traditional venue of Hamilton Race Course as a Senior – he had been in a motor cycle accident and did not run as a Junior Man and he was only getting back into the sport in 1962.   

On the road:

He ran all over Scotland, mainly in road races,  many linked to Highland Games road races – among them were the Airdrie Highland Games 13 miles, the Shotts Highland Games 14, the Dunblane Highland Games 14, Aberfeldy 14, Duns and the Strathallan Gathering 20.   The Strathallan entry forms listed the race as 20 miles and on one occasion it was noted locally as 21 but it always felt like 22 when you ran in it.  Naturally at that time he was a member of the Scottish Marathon Club.   His first race with the Club was the Morpeth to Newcastle to which he travelled in Jimmy Scott’s minibus.   Jimmy was the secretary of the SMC and took his minibus to all the road races and transported many runners to them.   As a member of the club he also took part in the championship which meant racing in the Clydebank to Helensburgh 16, the Strathallan 20 and the SAAA Marathon championship.    He tells us that “In training for the marathon I would race the Tom Scott 10, the Clydebank – Helensburgh and Edinburgh-North Berwick 22 then the Scottish Marathon in June. At that time my wife’s family lived in the Lake District and I often ran down in the North West : Brampton to Carlisle, Windermere to Kendal, Blackpool and Manchester, where I ran my marathon pb”.

Colin Youngson trawled through some old Scottish Marathon Club results and found the following honourable mentions of Ian. 

In early 1965, Ian B. McKenzie joined the Scottish Marathon Club.   Other new members accepted then included prominent international athletes Alastair Wood (Aberdeen AAC) and Fergus Murray (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers). From then on, Ian must have taken part in several club races, but the following results are from 1967-1968.

At the end of April 1967, he finished a decent twelfth (1.34.36) in the 16 miles Clydebank to Helensburgh Road Race, just behind Bobby Calderwood of Victoria Park but in front of Willie Marshall (Motherwell), Ronnie Kane and Andy Forbes (both VP).   Ian was third in the Handicap section.

In early June, Ian was 8^th (1.11.23) in a Dundee ASA Road Race (probably 12 miles). Amongst others, he beat Henry Morrison of Dundee Hawkhill.    A week later, he finished tenth (54.50) in the Edinburgh University 10, in front of Ian Hathorn, who held the Edinburgh to Glasgow Stage Three record.   There were three ESH athletes in front of Ian McKenzie – Donald Macgregor, Alastair Matson and W. Lyall.

Two weeks after that (June 24^th), Ian had a go at the Scottish Marathon Championship on and out and back course from Grangemouth Stadium. It was a very hot day so, although he was tenth at half way (1.16.30), he was one of 6 who did not finish.

On 12^th August, Ian ran the Atholl and Breadalbane Agricultural Show 13-mile road race and completed the course in 15^th place (1.26.11) in front of Ron Pickard (Perth Railway AC). At the end of the season, Ian B. McKenzie was listed as 24^th equal in the 1967 Scottish Marathon Club Championship.

On the 30^th of November, 1968, Ian ran the famous Brampton to Carlisle Road Race and recorded a time of 57.02.

At club level, he ran in all the  shorter annual road races such as the Nigel Barge Road Race in Maryhill on the first Saturday of the year, the Glasgow University 5+ in early November but only ran in the Edinburgh to Glasgow Relay once,  simply because the club standard was so high.    Ian’s running was of a good club standard – eg he ran a first class standard time in 1967, ran 1:11:25 for 13+ very hilly miles at Airdrie, 26 minutes for the 5 miles of the Nigel Barge race.

On the track:

As for track running, he has this to say: “After my bike accident I mainly stuck to road running as I enjoyed it the most, although I did many 3 and 6 miles races in the Scottish Athletics League for ESH, mainly because very few wanted to do them (usually the 6).    Before the accident I competed on the track at a number of meetings: PressCharities at Powderhall, at Musselburgh, and Falkirk , Shawfield and Motherwell    I enjoyed them but never really enthused over them.

I ran two steeplechase  races in my time, one at Westerlands the other at the East District championships. I didn’t ever do any more. I did many club championships at various distances from 440 yards up to 6 miles, where I set my pb behind Ken Ballantyne.   In the early 1960’s ESH was looking to improve as a club and competed at many competitions at Blackpool Illuminations trophy meeting, at Billingham and Blackburn. All those had two mile team races on the programme, which I did enjoy.  They also provided an opportunity to bond with others in the team.”

He was always very much one of the team,    Alistair Blamire says that Ian is “a great club man, really friendly guy, used to train with Ian occasionally when we both worked in Livingston.”   The same is said by many other ESH runners in different ways.”

Over the country:

Ian McKenzie, John Gladwin and Alex Robertson

Ian McKenzie is a man who has represented his club, Edinburgh Southern Harriers as a runner on the road and over the country, as a team manager and as an administrator since the early 1960’s.   Ian was club secretary from 1969-’71 and from ’84-’94, and president from ’75-’77.   Never a champion, he was a good, reliable, dependable athlete who ran – 

• in road races in Highland Games at such as Airdrie,
• in the point to point road races, such as the 16 miles Clydebank to Helensburgh, which were always popular well contested races,
• and in the annual classics like the Nigel Barge Road Race held on the first Saturday every year in Glasgow.   
•  in club, district and national cross-country championships representing Edinburgh Southern Harriers
• in track races for the club in the Scottish Athletics League as well as in individual events.   

Ian completed the questionnaire for us and it is reproduced verbatim below.   Ian says:

.Emma Gorman, Shirley Knox, Isobel Knox, Gail Balfour

Billky  Brooks, Mark Munro, Matthew Pritchard

.

.

Calder Street Baths (which became Govanhill Baths) in Govanhill in Glasgow is an example of what happened to so many Baths buildings in Glasgow.   A well-loved facility, used by many local people for a variety of uses, undervalued by the City Council and scrapped or altered beyond recognition.   Or it would have been but for the people demonstrating, arguing and taking a stand that preserved the building and most of its functions.  

We can talk all day about the workmanship and planning but we need to really see what we mean by quality.   Remember that these were built for working men and their families who often, almost always in some districts, had no bath at all at home.    The Glasgow Historical Archive describes the beginnings of the movement, because that is what it was to start with.

1794 The North Parish Washing-Green Society was a charitable institution. The heritors of the North Quarter of the city provided and equipped a washing green, with wash-house and utensils, on the banks of the Clyde. The society received its seal of cause from the Town Council in 1794 and was managed by a board consisting of officers, representative citizens and elected members. Initially meeting in the ‘Penny’ North Parish School, the board received permission from the Provost to meet in the session house of the Cathedral in 1850. Those using the wash-house and green paid a fee dependent upon the amount and type of washing undertaken and these activities were overseen by a tacksman.

1869 May 24^th At a meeting of the Police Board the following motion by Councillor William Wilson was approved; “That it be an instruction form this Board to the Sanitary Committee that they shall forthwith provide at four of the most suitable points in the City, Public Baths and Wash-houses for the accommodation of the inhabitants – all in terms of the Glasgow Police Act, 1866, clause 387.”

1875 February 8^th Councillor William Wilson presented a motion to the Police Board that a Special Committee on Baths and Wash-houses be appointed.

1876 January Baths Committee and Police Board accepted an offer of the Town Council to lease them the site of the old washing-house on the Green for the erection thereon of Public Baths and Wash-houses, the rent to be £50 per annum.

 The pool in the photographs above and below is at Calder Street in Govanhill and the Public Baths there, used by West of Scotland Harriers until their demise.  Since then there has been a continuous campaign to have them re-opened.   The Historic Pools of Britain    lists the Baths saying:

Govanhill Baths is Glasgow’s last surviving Edwardian public bathhouse. The building originally contained public baths, a wash house, three swimming pools and a Turkish baths suite. The wash house, at the rear of the building, was converted to a laundrette in 1971.

They are described as:

Name: Govanhill Baths
Location: Glasgow
Current status: Learners pool open, Main pool and Ladies pool closed
Date built: 1914-1917
Architect: A B MacDonald
Listed building status: Category B
Lead organisation: Govanhill Baths Community Trust

Pictures tell part of the story but the descriptions of the exterior design, of the interior layout and building materials tells us a better story.   The fact that almost all the remaining Public Baths were Listed Buildings says a lot about the quality.   What tells us even more about the importance attached to the Baths is the number that were rebuilds – eg in Clydebank the Baths in Hall Street (called the ‘old Baths’ by the natives) became too small and so the Bruce Street Baths (the new baths) were built just one street further east and both were listed buildings.   Although the new baths were built at the start of the 1930’s the old baths were used by schools and other groups right up into the late 1960’s, possibly the 1970’s.   Other Baths in Glasgow were frequently rebuilt at some point because they were too small for the demand and the new version was also of high quality and became a listed building in its turn.   We can look at some of them.   

For instance, the detail for the newer Whiteinch Baths says –

“Whiteinch Public Baths was constructed between 1923 and 1926 by the Office of Public Works and opened on 28 October 1926.   It was once a much larger complex that had two swimming pools, including additional baths for men and women, and a Turkish Bath.   The retained central pavilion of the baths makes a good contribution to the streetscape and is rare as a building type as not many 20th century baths now survive.   The original brick and Edwardian Baroque style represents a well-detailed example of civic architecture and it continues to make an important contribution to an area of the city which has been largely redeveloped.”   

The building that it replaced – or rather was developed from – was described on its listing as follows. 

“The Whiteinch Public Baths and Wash-house were built next to the public halls and the building contained a large swimming pond 75 feet by 35 feet 6 inches; a small pond of 40 feet by 20 feet; sixteen slipper baths for ladies and thirty-one for men; forty-three wash stalls; sixteen washing machines and (from 1926) a Turkish bath with room for twenty people. Sun lamps were installed in the 1930s.”

Main Pool Spectator Seating 

The Baths have in the 21st century been the focus of much local and national attention but before coming to that we should note the beginnings, as described by Wikipedia.

Govanhill Baths is Glasgow’s last surviving Edwardian public bathhouse.    The building contained hot baths in the upper storey and three swimming pools on the ground floor. There was a seating gallery around one of the pools for spectators attending events such as galas. The wash house, or “steamie”, at the rear of the building, was converted to a launderette in 1971.   

The foundation stone for the new baths and wash-house was laid on 3 July 1914 by the Lord Provost of Glasgow, Sir Daniel Macaulay Stevenson.   An important function of the building in the early years was to provide clothes-washing facilities for local people whose tenement homes typically had no such facilities. Most homes in the area also lacked bathing facilities.    Local rumour has it that the baths were used as a temporary mortuary for casualties from bombing during World War II.

*

That it was recognised as a quality asset to the City, is indicated by the presence of the Lord Provost at the opening.   There were approximately 25 separate such buildings in Glasgow at the time, and not all were so honoured.   The people of Govanhill were justly proud of the facility which was well used by the local community.    However, the City Council seemed to have different standards and the closure of the baths was announced in the Glasgow Evening Times on 6 January 2001.    Glasgow City Council argued that the baths had too little use and were too expensive to refurbish and keep open.   The campaign to save the baths began almost straight away, and resulted in a community protest occupation of the building from 17 March until 7 August that year.   Sheriff’s officers accompanied by mounted police finally removed the protesters and shuttered the windows and doors with steel. A picket line remained outside the baths for the following year, supported by local community donations.   

Govanhill Baths Community Trust

The Govanhill Baths Community Trust (GBCT) was formally constituted in 2005, and since then has been campaigning to reopen the baths as a “Wellbeing Centre”, supported by community trust initiative, external funding, and subscribing members. The trust manages community well-being projects and produces a newsletter.     Since its closure in 2001, Govanhill Baths has been the site of a variety of events meant to campaign for and promote awareness, including theatre and musical performances, art installations, and a skate-park. These events sped up action to reopen the pools, which began experiencing severe decay to the interior.

In 2012, the smallest of the three pools, the “teaching” pool, was reopened and locals were interviewed expressing relief and recounting long memories of the bath house. This step was financed by the National Theatre of Scotland for use in their production, Lifeguard. A three-step plan was made to transform the building with Turkish and sauna suites, an allotment, a community café and music venue. Some had to be turned away from the front doors when they arrived with towels and swimming gear as the initial refilling was a test of the pool’s integrity to confirm its viability for returning to use.

On March 22, 2021, building contractors took control of the site in order to commence refurbishment works. The scheduled works will ensure that the building is wind- and watertight, and will refurbish two of the three swimming pools. In addition, new facilities will be created including a gym, yoga studio, Turkish suite, community kitchen, archive, and learning space, all of which were chosen through community consultation.    The building is due to reopen in 2022.

The Wikipedia article can be found at  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govanhill_Baths

The Community Trust website is at  Govanhill Baths Community Trust · (archive.org)

There is a good documentary covering the history of the Baths from early days through to the closure and protests at

 Govanhill Baths Archive – GDODDF2020 – YouTube

And another interesting documentary on Youtube at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsLT98mCYaA

Martin Hyman was a well respected distance runner in Portsmouth for many years before he came to Scotland.   Along with his club mate and friend Bruce Tulloh he wrote the AAA’s Instructional Booklet on Long Distance Running which right at the start laid out their intention of getting the best out of a runner with as little time spent training as possible.  Remember that this was at the time when Lydiard and Cerutty were doing their coaching and Van Aaaken was working with athletes in Germany.   The heresy at the time linked miles run with success achieved: Hyman and Tulloh challenged this viewpoint.   Martin also did some pioneering work on altitude training for endurance athletes.   He came to Scotland and went about his work quietly, unlike many an Anglo who came north with all trumpets blaring and an expectation of veneration.   

This page should be read in conjunction with Squad Weekends   and     Uphill Only   

 One of those that Martin met, worked with and impressed was Denis Bell of Haddington ELP and what follows are Denis’s own thoughts on Martin and his effect. 

Livingston AAC in the December, 1992, issue of “Scotland’s Runner”

This website is ‘scottishdistancerunninghistory’  so many will know of Martin,….. many might not. Read on and learn something about the Legend who is Martin Hyman of Livingston.   Elsewhere many accolades have been conferred upon Martin as a very distinguished Olympian and a competitor amongst great names and with results of distinction, see  the Wikipedia article on Martin for a start.   

Martin several times mentioned to me (usually over a glass of beer, or a cup of tea and biscuits) that he was not anything like a special athlete with great natural skills and abilities…but he always said that he ‘knew what he could do and would therefore try to “maximise what abilities he did have..’…so the indicator is of a man of self-effacing charm and honesty as well as pragmatism. Martin simply knew that to try and compete with the best he had to do ‘absolutely everything within his own control’ to eke out whatever advantages he could over his fellow competitors.   He was very dedicated and very good at that in terms of self-discipline – right training regimes, right prep for races, immaculate researching courses, and knowing his competitors, etc., etc …Martin worked to get the ‘event under his skin’, effectively leaving nothing to chance and just get on with it and run n to his very. very best.   Those who know Martin and maybe trained with him (he ran well, well into ‘older age’) will understand these few words about ‘the man’.

What I want to do here in tribute to a real legend is share with you that when he was with us (and I guess Orienteering) the stuff I really know about, his love for and total commitment to hill running.   The words I have spoken about Martin’s approach to running was the precursor to his way with us in hill-running and the way he felt about and aspired to how the sport could be managed for the athletes and take on the best internationalists and really compete at World level. Martin knew a good, and potentially great, athlete when we saw one…older runners, prime competing (championship, national calibre and internationalist) runners, male and female, and youngsters, male and female…Martin had time for anyone and everyone who made a very serious and honest commitment to getting better….he asked bluntly and expected honesty…and then if there was true engagement, he‘d do absolutely anything and everything to facilitate peoples’ own aspects of achieving their potential and best successes…

Martin didn’t suffer fools and was sooo very busy and committed, that he had a finger on the pulse and would coerce and health check commitment or, I propose, there was a parting of the ways. It was an unequivocal approach…it worked.   

 I could and maybe should name names, but fair to say that many athletes from juniors upwards through the heady days of the 90s to the 2000s, our Man, Gentleman, took things forward to new levels and was instrumental amongst a motley crew of many other Worthies, who made very significant and real differences to the way hill running grew, matured and evolved at the ‘international level’. It was very much about how the best can be better; how the young and emerging can grow and perform, how to be ‘winners’. In saying this he did a huge amount at grass roots too, and was highly respected from being amongst the ordinary and good of hill running. He managed training weekends (see some attachments of real events), he managed juniors at Livingston Athletic Club, he set up races ([orienteering ]..cross country, hill and international selection events, and actual courses, etc.), and of course he set up and managed personally ‘the Meadows sessions’ which quickly became legendary holding this commitment for about 30 years.  Others have stepped into the breach in more recent years and these sessions remain as an ultimate, very worthy legacy to Martin; these actually are the hallmark of what supreme involvement, and stewardship, and detailed commitment, and steadfast management our Man carried and of course, in return he was held in colossal respect by all whom he met.

Was Martin a ‘saint’ (that might be a totally inept word?!) …no!…but simply a man and gentleman held in the utmost respect. You could ‘cross’ Martin (I did a couple of times) but there was no animosity, there was only a difference of opinion and approach and without any anger or angst, we simply moved on and got on with things. Martin could and would accede…but he’d never ‘change’, and this again was a sure-fire indicator of his passion for ‘right and proper’ and his way was right…inevitably of course he was most certainly right; we had arguments and discussions but we could temper and approach …so ‘compromise’ was there and things worked, very well.

I will share an abundance of stunningly good examples of what Martin gave us in hill running…and you’ll see it was ‘life and soul’ and the sport is the much better for it, and the way he coached and mentored athletes, and also admin people and hill race organisers, and officials and the upper echelons of Sports Administrators was simply exemplary.   I might be considered to be waxing lyrical, but that’s fine…no-one can deny me my knowledge and experiences wide and many, over many years, of our truly Great Man, Gentleman.

In the centre of the picture – one of the team.

I wrote these following words, and not so terribly long after Martin left us with his terminal illness… Martin leaves Margaret his very dear wife, and their sons, the boys, the grown fine men.   Fred (Michael) and Pakit (Patrick), and in-laws and grand children.   

A very early recall is one of a meeting in a Glasgow Flat (with Helene Diamantides and Mark Rigby [two utterly brilliant athletes] and others I cannot recall immediately, where we were discussing the way forward for hill running, grass roots(??) and towards international honours (the cream of athletes)….{any readers who can add things here should please contact me for fullness}. Well in short, I do recall that I differed with Martin’s ideas somewhat.   I think that his was a very much ‘elite athletes’ take and mine was probably more to do with the ‘grass roots of the sport and development for all’..no matters…what I definitely recall was this was ‘a powerful man of principles who was direct, honest and very pragmatic’. This was surely for me the very first step of a truly wonderful relationship with a man I could easily associate with, and we were moving forward together, with a fair number of other very good hill runners who’d take our sport forward. This might have been an early informal meeting (or as was then ‘committee’)  about Scottish Hill Runners Association [SHRA] moving towards the Hill Running Commission [HRC] to be integrated as part of Scottish Athletics [SA]. A key here might well have been towards formalising a way to achieve at international level by accessing secure funding..when the previous way was a ‘good-will grant of some support financially’ …anyway it was not all roses…the period of change upset some of the purist hill runners (who had a slight disdain of the ‘blue blazer brigade’) whilst the committee knew that to support internationalists (grass roots racers sometimes’ don’t care about the elites..  Fair enough!) we had to get a more formalised method of accessing funding.

It was the start of a very good strong relationship and it went form strength to strength as Martin helped shape a new approach into a very bright and dynamic future of the sport..   Martin already had a legacy on the Meadows sessions, orienteering and at Livingston.   He was always, always very active – committing to and doing loads of initiatives.   Buying into personal needs, juniors, and all across the full spectrum of the sport. Everything involved in, came up with good results and often outstanding.   

He was also a colossal administrator – planning, schedules, to-do worklists, venue arrangements (access rights), mapping, gathering boxes and boxes of tools, aids and provisions, buying-in ‘The Team’ who’d make happen (all to the clearly detailed plan of detailed requirements).   It was a case of… if you honestly ‘Commit’ you are ’IN’ ..simple…and get in there do what you said you would and make things happen. Simple and effective, repeatedly year after year.

So to some timeline memories (and please check the various schedules Martin issued to us all at the various planned events). {Photos of Martin’s outputs to be placed in whenever it thought best to interrupt the text}   I’m certain Martin told me that the Meadows have been running continuously for 30+years, of course the great majority ‘religiously’ by him, then ‘others’ have taken on the mantle faithfully and do them to this day.

I personally never did any, but I recall a great friend and co-runner of mine Peter Marshall (another H.E.L.P. stalwart of great repute) used to travel form Cockburnspath to participate in the hour sessions. (Peter was a super hill runner and was one of few in HELP who did ‘all manner of events, and was an outstanding vet champion..). Note please Martin = consistency, continuity, commitment, enthuser and inspiration.

I recall the concept of squad and Martin and I planned a weekend of ‘team bonding’ a few weeks before a World Cup (Jules Rimet guys didn’t like that [copyright?] so it was re-named World Mountain Running Trophy) up to Glenshee Hotel…a bit of a ‘first’ I think and it wasn’t bad, but not really hill-runner squad style…. We took feedback from the 14-16 athletes who took the chance; Martin felt it wasn’t really value for money and just not right …. he WAS right! We changed.

I recall an initiative to go up to Glen Doll to recce the (original) Angus Munros course (an Edinburgh -Livi sortie by a dozen or so of us ..) ..It was a grand experience…I was not that long-hill-race savvy, and I probably didn’t have the confidence to do those long unmarked off-track routes, in wild open countryside, in poor conditions using map and compass…the weather was good so we could see, easily pick the tops, and followed the route no problem which meant we could ‘pick best lines’ rather than go ‘direct on the compass….great hours out. So simply ‘agreement to gather, car-sharing, light organisation and we did it under Martin’s initiative….(remember … leave nothing to chance ..if you have no experience, invest and get some!). Martin’s way …Planning and Preparation! It worked for me because I placed very well, still as a newbie (long distance) hill runner.

(Jock’s road, Tomdhu? Sinclair Hut? Broad Cairn? Cairn Broadlands? …..back to Broad Cairn and off..?? anyway it was something like that 40 years ago nearly.

As we got better organised as a ‘sports body’ largely don to some super efforts by committed athletes (racing hard and managing well) the structure to tackle uphill races and also to provide a platform for honing skills, the ‘Squad Training Weekends’(STWs) started to develop as well as uphill only races.   Martin was pivotal in most STWs and led most of them though very wisely co-opted others in the wider-flung regions away from the Central Belt to also take ownership (Dougie Milligan, Dumfries; John Hepburn Lochaber; Ewen Rennie, North East..etc.).

We had 1 or 2 STWs most years and though they were joint events initially with juniors and seniors we again pretty quickly realised that they didn’t work best and they separated successfully. Along with slightly different organising teams for each ‘age category’, Martin was very much a presence at nearly all of them…Venues were Wanlockhead (first ever, fantastic, and so often repeated thereafter).. Dalbeattie, Glencoe, Scout Centre Lochearnhead, Scout Centre (Fairmilehead) Edinburgh, Fife, North East, Borders, Inverness, ….

So the formats stuck (fewer events for Juniors) and Martin’s planning and preparation covered the Weekend Agenda, time-lined over various activities; some seminar type, organised runs, free running periods and obligatory socialising…! The format was simply to encourage ‘anyone’s improvement potential’ and by rubbing shoulders live and learn – whilst originally planned for taking ‘Internationalists’ up a level it actually seemed to serve ‘ordinary racing athletes’ the best and got most commitment  from them ..elitists have their own approaches normally and in this respect ..the ‘aspiration towards the elite’ actually failed to a degree…but was hugely successful in pulling up ordinary runners to great runners, and helping encourage youngsters to stick with it to aspire towards young seniors of real potential…so ‘it WORKED’, very successfully, dialling in parents as assistants and coaches, etc.! I recall events for the likes of 20-50 people and it’s important to mention the format was very ‘low-key, basic’ decently warm and dry ‘lodgings’, and good wholesome food and drinks. Martin effectively did all the shopping and we never ever went short; the surpluses at the end were shared and a small contribution made for them [I’d be certain Martin always subsidised these events, generously, to a fault and never ever mentioning anything about it!!]

So Martin did all the planning and prep (unless a delegate in the region booked the event meeting place), all the paperwork (sign in form etc., and safety sheets for the scattering of people into ‘often unknown areas’), maps, schedules, results sheets, crib-note sheets, organising the team of assistants , car-sharing arrangements to get non-drivers and the youngsters to events, and helping facilitate, time and manage the sessions..(relays, personal timed circuits , mapped legs etc.). I assisted and I have done stuff like this… it is a huge and committing effort, and Martin did this par excellence; these weekends really truly worked, year after year, EVERY time.

Whilst a general top manager for the whole scope of SHR (SAL, HRC, etc) Martin also focused on Livingston AC (LAC) and engendered great enthusiasm and purpose and for certain engaged parents and adults who equally gave such a great deal to the club and made it very successful on many counts (I do not know the specifics so please look elsewhere..). One thing is for certain:  the club has had brilliant athletes in all manner of athletics events. Many of us will be very aware of the prominence of the bright yellow vests with green vertical band on left side.   There were so many but how about these for a start – 

* Andy Kitchin,   * Joyce Salvona,    * Ann Curtis, * Andy Curtis, *  G Ackland,   * Jonathan Musgrave, * Graham Bee,   * Ian Donnan,

I think  Martin always revelled in the youngsters getting engaged in ‘sport’ and encouraged parents and parent-coaches, and took on several youngsters in person to coach to truly excellent levels.   “A really, really nice bunch of kids’” would be the words Martin enthused on his aspiring young team, a team spanning 20+ years, boys and girls who came from ‘nothing’ or humble but emerging beginnings. His utter joy and satisfaction was to see, to assist guide youngsters towards superb results and fulfilling some of their potential (at times youngsters from ‘challenged backgrounds’ made it even more special {would it not have been utterly wonderful to have had a teacher of Martin’s dedication and experience and care?}

It occurs to me the Margaret and Martin (with total commitment to sons Patrick (‘Pakit’) and Michael(‘Fred’)) always ‘funded’ youngsters for very many years, helping ease and encourage their ways forward…..(Margaret ..names track and field?); road and hill running, orienteering, etc…Martin was well dialled in to all aspects of personal development and would truly support any and everyone who showed genuine commitment; stars, current or emerging were one thing, but anyone at all, anyone who was serious about improving got the ear, the wee bits of advice and guidance they needed, always. He clearly got that a lot of good and even great seniors had ‘learned what mattered’ and had their own routines (but he was always a very attentive listener and would proffer comments or advice when sought). For youngsters and raw senior newcomers, he was especially supportive and would seriously and personally help steer those folks forward….I cannot evaluate that in number terms but would not have been surprised if it wasn’t 5, 10, 20 people at times over the spectrum of ages and capabilities.

As an ‘organiser-extraordinaire’ we just need to look at the meticulous detail and quality of communications with everyone engaged in the various events …see the pictures of records following. astounding…quality, quantity, clarity, user-friendliness, template formats, instructions, tasks and assignment sheets; advice on where to be, when and and and…superb! 

Looking back now, of course the canny management meant keeping in touch and the spreadsheets of contact details would be a real burden by current IDPR demands (security and authority on personal record details)!! I guess that martin would rail against the lack of trust  and integrity by such an additional burden but nonetheless he’d understand and comply. In all the events we undertook I really cannot think of any ‘misdemeanours’ or conflicts of interest and personal care. There always appeared to me to be respect for Martin and the seniors who helped make these wide array of events possible and such successes. It is relatively such a long time since I was involved in those events that I cannot properly remember the ‘make happen’ leaders and teams but again such was the respect for Martin that he could always call on the hard core (20 individuals?) who faithfully pitched in , leading, assisting, doing all manner of wee side actions to help , enabling and often critically important car-sharing, and getting non-drivers, or juniors to and from events. I repeat as always ‘things always worked out and were successful.  

Sometimes , the prime times I got with Martin were either ‘travelling with’ or ‘having a social beer or two of an evening’. Whilst he was superbly successful as a ‘middle and long distance runner’ in his younger days, he was always self-effacing, very humble in his own opinion of his capabilities and achievements; he’d reckon himself only reasonably talented (Commonwealth and Olympian!!) and placed ALL his successes down to planning and preparation.  ‘Obsessed’..?  Maybe, but we should understand that his lead up to and into events was ultra-methodical and he’d know the competition and courses very, very well….often reccy’ing routes leading into race days. Martin’s mark was always ‘in the details’….he was a long time precursor to Sky’s  Peter Brailsford’s ‘marginal gains’ …by 40-50 years! Please note …there was never ever any hint of ‘assists’ (taking or ‘doing stuff’).

Another absolute was that if ‘People’ committed 100% and did their very best then this was ‘outstanding’ (M often used such accolades frequently, and with the greatest of pride and joy) no matter ‘the placing in an event’. It was this assist and support that enthralled Martin of so many people he was close to or had seen flourish. So many Martin had respect for, and names that are easily recalled are Angela Mudge, Iain Donnan, Scott Fraser, Tracey Brindley, …………………and of course he was sincerely indebted to all those who helped and led graciously in managing events (and as Team managers), assisting in bigger competitions, driving the sport forward, like Ewen Rennie, Dave Peck, Dougie Milligan, Dave Hanlon, Edel Mooney, Malcolm Patterson, Bill Bennett, Margaret H, John Hepburn…. and others such as encouraged access to the land for events (Simon, Glas Tulachain, etc). The full list would be incredibly long and my sincere apologies for omissions.

A defining period occurred when Will Ramsbotham was lost to Livingston when he tragically came off a face in Snowdonia whilst climbing. In respect of Will it was decided to try a build a living memorial for him and an old railway bothy down by Hawick-Newcastleton was taken on as a conversion project for upgrade to a Mountain Bothy listing –  ‘Will’s Bothy’; M engendered support from far and wide and many great hours of voluntary labour were expended with real satisfaction making a worthy bothy in a great Borders area. Over several years great progress was made on all aspects in keeping with regulations and making the place an eco-sanitary place of welcome for all sorts of trekkers. See some of the ‘details’ Martin issued to the teams of folks who gathered to give their time; there was always social aspects to gatherings and more often than not the grub and drinks were inevitably sourced and supplied by Martin. We of course had to have an ‘athletic side’ to things too and we held the Will’s Bothy Relay over several years… to note the route had an 800 metres long railway tunnel to be negotiated or there was a ‘cop-out’ route that had ‘penalty’ attached!! (I recall that the Border Reivers won it 3 years on the trot with the record time – Lynsey Knox, John Tully Bill Knox, Jim Knox, Denis Bell, ……….). It. Was no ‘soft event’ though had fun associated with it, nonetheless quite competitive.

Interestingly it came to pass that that in trying to keep it a going concern, Martin liaised with the MBA (Mountain Bothies Association) to take it on and then. ‘the rot started’….M become very disillusioned with dealing with one or several ‘jobs-worths’ and he was routinely frustrated by their ‘no-can-do attitudes’ and I found this depressing to see a great man’s initiative being gazumped and virtually stymied by people who were utterly remote from the concept and building itself. To see a man of indomitable spirit being disheartened and in respects treated with contempt, was truly dreadful. My understanding was that ultimately in total frustration ‘we walked away from further involvement’ after doing an incredibly grand re-construction job. Martin just simply did not suffer fools gladly and he had the patience and care of a saint… so that was saying something.

A personal one was when I accompanied Martin north to do a recce and ‘we ended up in the wrong glen’…Martin was on the map and I was a game associate…but his astuteness realised that the terrain did not fit what the map was showing, and we re-traced to a correct junction and made the then correct choice of route. I recall a bit of frustration, but we didn’t dwell on it and made good progress thereafter. We ended up in Ft William and met a few Lochaber folks and had a social…. Race ‘reccies’ and ‘raids’ were commonplace back in the day.

Some of the dearest and more down to earth socials I recall relate to having a few beers and a good laugh about a few things that had happened to us over the years. Martin in his inimitable style would have a broad grin on his worldly-wise face behind his gold rimmed specs and we’d laugh out loud at some of the antics and really cheering times. So behind that serious, well-intended ‘doing the business’ character was a great, great humble man who cherished life, cherished his friendships and proteges, loved his patient and understanding wife Margaret and his Boys and the grandkids…; he revelled in the company of people young and old trying their very best, revelled in the camaraderie of the pub, or a good catch up with a bottle of beer to hand.

The Legend who is Martin Hyman was more than and outstanding athlete, some of us, only some of us got to know about…the Legend known to far, far more for his absolute commitment to others…his organisation and communications felt by all in his circulation lists, but dare I say actually very few really appreciating the thousands upon thousands of hours selflessly committed to us, as he meticulously planned and prepared like no other could or would… for so many years, giving, always giving, never taking….

See Also:   The Baths    The Baths Were The Winter HQ   What Was A Steamie?   Calder Street Baths

This page is devoted to personal comments and reminiscences of runners who actuality used some of the facilities.

Whiteinch Baths & Victoria Park

The start of the McAndrew Relay in 1950: HQ at Whiteinch Baths

All baths had their similarities as far as the basics were concerned – they were warm, they had copious supplies of hot water, they were always very close to public transport but there were differences too.   Most but not all were attached to Steamies,   eg the big ‘new Baths’ in Clydebank’s Bruce Street were not atached to any steamie.   Asked about Whiteinch Baths in Glasgow’s West End, Hugh Barrow was a fund of information.   He says:

“Unlike some establishments, there were no turnstiles at the entrance at Whiteinch.   Runners went up the steps and turned to the right, and then a left turn took you to the pool area, and a right to the steamie and washouse.   As far as the Harriers were concerned, pack runs assembled in the steamie where you could warm up by jogging round the machines in a central area that felt like a sauna and you had to dodge the guy who was hosing  down the area after a day’s washing .

Hugh reminisces and comments, “Simple in many ways but hugely enjoyable   Loved steeping in the tubs at Whiteinch after runs then walk along Medwyn St and 33 bus home.”
 

Jock Semple winning the Balloch to Clydebank 12 Miles in the 1920’s: HQ in Hall Street Baths at the time

I joined Clydesdale Harriers in 1957 and trained regularly every winter from then until I stopped running in the 1980’s and kept on turning up for committee meetings and as a coach right up until they were closed.   When you arrived in Bruce Street, the harriers just went in the main entrance where they paid their money (3d in old money in the 1950’s), went through the turnstiles and turned right and went down the stairs to the basement.   At the foot of the stairs, there were communal showers to the left behind a modesty curtain but the dressing rooms were along to the left.  About a dozen or so yards along the big dressing room – more like a hall – was on the right.   Warm stone floor warm walls too, as warm a changing room as anyone could wish for.   Hot pipes ran round the room just below the ceiling and many of the older hands hung their towels on there when they went for the run and they were superbly warm on their return.   If you hadn’t a towel, forgot to bring one or just couldn’t be bothered, then you could hire one for the session.  Harriers jogged round the room prior to their run, there were exercise mats there too and there was always someone doing a circuit of their own or just reclining more or less gracefully doing some stretching exercises.  There were a few weights for those who were that way inclined but it was mainly harriers of all shapes and ages.   The notice board was inside the door and that was where the results were posted on the Tuesday night.   The run for the evening was written by the captain and pinned inside the door with times for the various packs starting the run.   After the run it was into the showers for a blether and as often as not a sing song by the Harriers Choir – Pat Younger, Frank Kielty, David Bowman and all the rest singing mainly highland tramping songs.   Polismen were known to break their beat to chat to the women in the cash box to get warm and hear the harriers singing!   

Johnny B Maclachlan, one of the best captains the club ever had, shares some of his memories of the Baths at Bruce Street.

The Entry was up a few steps to a turnstile. The woman, whichever one it was, seemed to know all the harriers and their requirements. Seeing my face she always rung up two tickets, a harrier and a towel, costing a tanner (6d), maybe more. Then downstairs and along a corridor, up a few steps to the changing area. On leaving there was a door on your right which took you to other accommodation, seldom used by us.   There were communal showers with 3 heads.   When the singing started I decided to leave, turning on the cold water leading to unprintable comments.  Near the changing area were a few lockers, one of which belonged the harriers. Sometimes a female attendant was at the lockers when some harriers wandered back from the showers in the nude. It happened to me on one occasion, totally embarrassing the said attendant. On the way out the towel was dumped in the chute prior to leaving the building.

Pollokshaws Baths & Bellahouston Harriers

Brock Baths  &  Dumbarton AAC

Allan Adams, long serving member of Dumbarton AAC tells us –

As far as I know the Brock Baths were always Dumbarton harriers meeting place for club training nights. The entrance fee was paid individually for entry to the baths not by club.    When I joined in 1956 , Dr.Ian MacPhail president, and Jimmy Walker secretary ,they trained from a small gym at the rear end of the pool which was 25 yards long with one diving board. There were single lockers along each side of  an open gallery above the changing rooms for spectators and changing. The club trained Tuesday  and Thursday nights and also Saturdays .We had a few lockers for the club and some rings hanging from the roof to mess about on .Entrance fee allowed club members to have a shower & swim after training (or a hot bath extra ).We were allowed to come and go through boiler room at the side of the gym.  The 2 mile road race started at the boilerhouse door, lap of common then mile & half round a few streets and back. Colin Martin still holds the record of 9m 18sec to this day.  We also held the county championship races round the golf course to Strathleven estate and back.

The Dumbarton team which had just finished the Glasgow to Fort William relay: Alistair Lawson on the left with Allan Adams second left.

Alistair Lawson taught at Keil School in Dumbarton and joined the club while he was there.   He says: I well recall the Brock Baths from 1966 – 1971  (duration of my stay in Dumbarton), though Colin Martin, Allan Adams  et al will recall the detail very much better than I can.  As well as DAAC visits on a Tuesday and Thursday evening, I took Keil pupils down there on a Friday evening for swimming training with the local club.  There was a smallish but adequate changing area, toilets adjacent and the use of the bathtubs.  I’m just trying to think whether we used the baths on Saturdays or whether it was only a weekday evening arrangement.   Saturdays might be either pack runs if there was a gap in the racing calendar, or the club’s own championship events.  I seem to think that the 2-mile and 6-mile events around the streets started from the Common, alongside the baths, but whether or not we used the baths on Saturdays I just can’t be sure, though I’m pretty certain we did on the occasion of the Dumbarton 800th Anniversary marathon in 1970.     

Calder Street Baths  &  West of Scotland Harriers

West of Scotland Harriers had been one of the very oldest harrier clubs in Scotland, dating from the 1880’s  When young Hamish Telfer joined the club, it trained at Stanalane track in summer and from Calder Street Baths (aka Govanhill Baths) and he looks back to the 1960’s.

See also:  The Baths Were The Winter HQ     What Was A Steamie?     Some Memories Of The Baths       Calder Street Baths

The Wash House Harriers: Dennistoun Public Baths (c1890)

The importance of Burgh Swimming Baths to Scottish cross-country running and endurance running generally cannot be stressed too much.   Many clubs used the local Baths for their headquarters and trained from them on club nights (usually Tuesday and Thursday) all through the winter and often enough on Saturdays during the summer.  The attractions were many and obvious.   For instance the clubs did not have to buy the premises, nor did they have to rent them: they were run by the local authority and it was usually possible to simply book them at the start of the season with members paying their own entry fee when they came to train there.   They were also warm – lovely and warm during the winter months with hot pipes that ran around just below the ceiling from which the runners could hang their towels when they were out training and were warm for use after the showers.   That’s another thing – the Baths usually had communal showers where stories could be told, songs sung, banter engaged in and generally were quite a social occasion.  Towels could be hired too and left for washing afterwards.  There was often also a room, or rooms, where committee meetings could be held and the relationship between Baths staff and Harriers was always of the best.   For a few coppers more of course the swimming pool could be an added attraction after the run.      It could be confusing too at times when an area had several Baths, for instance Barrhead was reputed to have five public swimming baths which caused some confusion to visiting runners who became separated from the pack.   

Western Baths Club

They were used right from the start by the various sections of Clydesdale Harriers.  The principal runs were held from the Victoria Baths and the Western Baths, the former being the grand opening run with all sections represented and the latter being the closing run with all sections present.  In 1989/90 runs were held from the above venues plus Dennistoun Baths from which the opening run had been held in 1887/88.  In 1888/89 the club handbook commented that the most popular runs were those held from the various Private Baths and Barracks.

Victoria Baths

The use of The Baths for training purposes was largely a West Coast phenomenon but it was not exclusively so.   Ian McKenzie says: “My recollections in Edinburgh go back to the early 1950’s when there was a combined clubs pack run from Portobello Baths before the start of the cross country season, always graded and with  “pace and whip” woe betide if you got in front of the pace you immediately got told by the whip to get back.    The first East District c/c league race was always organized by Teviotdale and changing was in the public baths, after showering you would jump into the pool to have a swim. Many East District races were also run from the Newcraighall Pit which meant there was an abundance of hot showers and baths to enjoy.”

And note the Fixtures from the Edinburgh Northern Harriers handbook of 1935-36, below,  which has a reference to what was probably the inter-club run Ian mentions above.

There is not much information about the Perth/Dundee areas as far as the swimming baths are concerned.   In the late 1920’s there were inter-club runs from the Perth Public Baths in the Dunkeld Road, led by Falkirk Victoria  Harriers and including Dundee Thistle Harriers but with eight clubs involved in 1927.   

In Ayrshire, we know that the Garnock Baths were used on occasion as changing for the AHCA Relays in the 1950’s.   

Much more recently, the newly formed Dundee Road Runners club used Lochee Baths in Dundee every Tuesday and Thursday and sometimes a Sunday from 1984 until around 1998 when they moved to Fitness First Gym in the Hilltown.

Edinburgh Northern Harriers Fixture list for 1935/36

They could also be hired for local road races – for instance, 

• The Bruce Street Baths at Clydebank were stripping accommodation before the 16 miles Clydebank to Helensburgh race and at the finish of the Balloch to Clydebank road race;
•   Whiteinch Baths were used for the McAndrew Relay Race;
•   Maryhill Baths at Gairbraid Street were the headquarters of the Nigel Barge Race;
•   Brock Baths in Dumbarton were used for the Dunbartonshire County championships and for the relays too when it was Dumbarton AAC’s turn to host      them

There are other examples of the use of the Baths for race HQ’s in the East District..    Alex Jackson points out that the East District League from 1924, started as four meetings in Edinburgh, two from Portobello Baths and two from Glenogle Baths which were near open country at that time.   

Douglas MacDonald tells us of the story after the Nigel Barge Road Race from Maryhill Baths:-

“I spent time in the side room compiling the results by hand, as each sheet was completed by the recorders at the finish, I would run up to the baths with it (50 names at a time I think?). It was a team race so we had to get the first 3 from each club and add up the points as well as match the numbers to times to names and post them on the wall before people were ready to leave. As an aside, there were also spot prizes at the Nigel Barge. The way it was worked was a runner who turned up every week but never got a prize was selected and it was 10 places up, and so on, until the spot prizes were finished.”

There were also occasions when the Baths were the fall-back option for a race.   Ian McKenzie talks of the East District League matches hosted by Teviotdale Harriers where the clubhouse was near to the Baths but not capacious enough to deal with the numbers so the Baths were used for the League matches.   

There is a belief, ‘myth’ would be too strong a word for it, that Shettleston Harriers used the public baths at Dennistoun, but Shettleston Harriers historian John MacKay said when asked about it – 

“Shettleston Harriers never used the Dennistoun Baths (Now a Snooker Hall) -There was a club which ran out of them – Dennistoun Harriers -one of the first clubs in Scotland . From my research they seemed very posh baths – Steam rooms ,Turkish baths and a gym for doing gymnastics etc. The short-lived ladies section of Shettleston h (1930’s) used Shettleston Baths but that was after the men would not allow them to use the clubhouse. The men’s club used an old fruit shop at first , then a school until they built the clubhouse in Gartocher Rd”.   And went on to say – “I know a lot of Harriers clubs in the early days used the Green Head Baths on Glasgow Green and I have seen lots of references to runs from there – Greenhead Harriers /Celtic Harriers /Plebeian H all used it at some time” 

Greenhead Baths and Wash House

However despite almost all being individually architect designed, despite almost every one being a listed building, many were destroyed or transformed beyond recognition.   For instance, the Gartsherrie Baths in Coatbridge, home to Coatbridge Junior Harriers and to the Monkland Harriers prior to the construction of the Inveresk Pavilion were part of the Gartsherrie Institute & Baths  and was eventually demolished.   The photograph below, from Joe Small, is of the Institute immediately prior to being demolished.

The Whiteinch Steamie

The Steamie was a public wash house and often contained baths (slipper baths and ordinary baths) as well as a swimming bath.   The following definition comes from the Sunday Post of 7th September, 2018.   

“Wash houses and baths came into being after a working class outcry for sanitation reform in the country in the Victorian age as a direct response to a perceived threat from infectious epidemic diseases like cholera and tuberculosis.

As industrialisation advanced from the late eighteenth century onward more and more people lived in towns and worked in factories, and as this new way of life spread, health conditions deteriorated, leaving far behind any voluntary, half-hearted efforts to cope with the problem.

The first official wash house in Glasgow was opened in 1876 on London Road after new legislation was passed in 1866 to introduce a fleet of wash houses across Scotland.   Throughout the years that followed, over 20 baths and wash houses were opened across the city of Glasgow, with many more springing up across the country.   By 1915, public baths and wash houses were to be found in nearly every British town and city.”

The ‘lockers’ at the front left are referred to by Hugh Barrow on the next page when he talks about their kit being ‘baked’

A picture of the Partick Steamie, which was fairly typical.   One runne says:  says” This is how I recall Whiteinch layout.   You could really get a soak in these tubs after the flog round Knightswood Tues Thurs”

This page shows some of the Baths used by harriers and goes into some detail about the design and manufacture of the buildings as an illustration of the quality of design and building in which the sport was nurtured.   

They were not poor buildings for poor people, they were quality buildings for human beings.   

Maybe the first with a  connection to a harriers club was the Greenhead Baths at the east end of Glasgow which was used for varying short spells by a variety of short lived clubs.   Opened in 1878, this facility replaced the old public wash-house, which was knocked down in 1876. Hamish Telfer mentions some of the older clubs linked with the harrier clubs, many long defunct, as follows:

See also:    The Baths Themselves     What was a ‘Steamie’?    ‘What harriers said and thought about the Baths‘  The Calder Street Baths

Kay Street Baths, the original Soringburn Harriers HQ

This detail is from the Hidden Glasgow website:  Kay Street Swimming Baths and Public wash-house: 
Opened in the early 1890s. As well as a swimming pool, Kay Street provided bathing facilities for Springburn’s tenement dwellers whose houses often had no separate bathroom and for whom a bath at home meant a zinc tub in front of the fire, the water often being used in succession by several members of the family.   Women who had inadequate laundry facilities at home, or who had missed their turn in the communal wash-house in the back court, or who simply preferred the social contact of the ‘steamie’, would bring their washing to Kay Street where they could hire tubs, washboards, wringers and drying machines.   However, the building fell into dilapidation and was demolished at the time of the construction of the new bypass, which runs right behind the site of the old baths. A new sports and leisure centre was opened in 1995 .

Clydesdale Harriers outside Whiteinch Baths, 1913

Although this photograph is of Clydesdale Harriers in 1913, it was known as the winter quarters of Victora Park AAC from their inception in 1930 until the motorway was built over the roads that were used for training purposes n the 1960’s.  Many of the very best runners that Scotland produced trained from there – Ian Binnie, Andy Forbes, Hugh Barrow and many more graced the premises.   Like Kay Street, it was also a Baths and Steamie.   The following notes are from ‘The Glasgow Story’

‘The Whiteinch Public Baths and Wash-house were built next to the public halls and the building contained a large swimming pond 75 feet by 35 feet 6 inches; a small pond of 40 feet by 20 feet; sixteen slipper baths for ladies and thirty-one for men; forty-three wash stalls; sixteen washing machines and (from 1926) a Turkish bath with room for twenty people. Sun lamps were installed in the 1930s.’

The illustration below shows the big lockers at the side.  I don’t know what the purpose was during the day,  but it was where the runners of Victoria Park hung their kit which came out baked stiff but dry.

Many Victoria Park club championships were run from there but the main event for decades was the McAndrew Relay, the start of the cross-country and road season, held on the first Saturday of October every year.   

Hall Street Baths, Clydebank, were part of a block including some tenement homes and the Fire Station, and the original finish for the runners in the Balloch to Clydebank race..

The big window at Bruce Street Baths in Clydebank.   Described officially as :  The Bruce Street Baths was designed to replace the nearby Hall Street Baths (now demolished) which were becoming too small. The plans were approved by the Council in 1929 and the baths were opened in 1932. It originally had a variety of facilities, including Turkish Baths, Russian Vapour Baths, a laundry and a massage room. (Historic Scotland)   The men were quartered in the two big basement rooms with communal showers, the Ladies were upstairs with individual baths (there were 22 ‘slipper baths’.    Like many, it was a superb bulding in its own right made to the highest standards and a real asset to the town.   The Harriers used it for training (Tuesday, Thursday and often Saturday and races were organised therefrom – club and County championships as well as the two open road races mentioned above.   Only the facade remains today of the Bruce Street Baths, the rest having been destroyed.

Brock Baths, Dumbarton

From The Lennox Herald:   The Baths were named after the man who was the leading partner of  William Denny and Brothers from 1895 to 1907.   He left £10,000 in his will for such a purpose and work began on the building in 1912.   The architect was Alexander C Denny, a grandson of John Denny, the former town clerk of Dumbarton.   The swimming pool was 75 feet long and 30 feet broad and there was a gallery to accommodate about 100 spectators.   The official opening of the baths took place on June 13th, 1914, and was performedd by the son and daughter of Walter Brock, who gave an endowment of £4000 to help maintain the baths.   During the first few days of opening, the baths could not cope with the numbers of people wishing to use the facility.   The cost of an adult swim in 1914 was 2d and a swimming costume could be hired for 1d ( a penny).

Dennistoun Baths Harriers, (c1900)  ‘The Glasgow Story has this to say:

Dennistoun Baths Harriers before setting off for a “hare and hounds” race c 1900. John Wilson is on the end of the third row on the right hand side.   Dennistoun Baths opened in Craigpark in 1884 and was privately run for members only until it closed in 1993. Apart from access to a swimming pool and Turkish Baths, members could also join various clubs which were affiliated to the baths, such as the harriers club (for cross-country running)

Maryhill Baths  &  Maryhill Harriers

Maryhill Swimming Baths: Entry for the Harriers was from Gairbraid Avenue but generally from Bunhouse Road.   Another superb building, builtwith the style and quality that Glaswegians were brought up to expect.   Infinitely preferable to the functional boxes that passed for architecture in the 70’s and 80’s.    It was the venue for the Nigel Barge Road Race – run over approximately 5 miles on the first Saturday of the New Year.    Opened on 30th May 1898.

Glasgow Office of Public Works, A B McDonald, City Surveyor 1896-1898. 1- and 2-storey originally roughly square plan Baroque former baths and washhouses. Polished red ashlar sandstone. Side elevations now rendered. Steeply sloping corner site .    

BURNHOUSE STREET ELEVATION: single storey, 10-bay with gables over central bays and bay to right. Roll moulded and keystoned openings. Central segmental arched window with gable above with Glasgow coat of arms, flanked by square headed doorways with two-leaf timber doors and fanlights and with inscriptions above, WASHHOUSE to left and PUBLIC BATHS to right. Wider segmental arched doorway to far left. Large round-arched window with Gibbs surround at far right (matching window on adjoining elevation) to former committee room (later manager’s office).

GAIRBRAID STREET ELEVATION: 2-storey 10-bay with blind openings to ground floor. Large round-arched window in bay to left; Ionic colonettes dividing windows at first floor.

Pollokshaws Baths & Bellahouston Harriers

As used by Bellahouston Harriers.   The Glasgow Story says – “The red brick building was designed and constructed as a baths and wash-house around 1920 by the Corporation’s Office of Public Works. It was converted into Pollokshaws Sports Centre in the 1980s. A proposal by Glasgow City Council to close the centre in 1999 was resisted successfully.

Calder Street Public Baths & Washhouse

West of Scotland used these – the Govanhill Baths – for many years having also used the Maryhill Baths.   The Glasgow City Archive tells us that “The baths were designed by A B McDonald and opened in 1917 after the architect’s death. They contained hot baths in the upper storey and three swimming pools on the ground floor. There was a seating gallery around one of the pools for spectators attending events such as galas. There was also a wash-house or “steamie” at the rear of the building”    It was described in 2022 as a listed building, category B and Glasgow’s last Edwardian public bath house by the Historic Pools of Britain group.   It is one of only two Scottish pools listed, the other being the Western Club in Glasgow.   Like all the pools on this page, the building was architect designed and made to very high standards.

Renfrew Victory Baths & Renfrew YMCA

(Photograph from a Visit Scotland brochure)   The Baths were used by Renfrew YMCA Harriers after the Second World War.   The Paisley.org site says:    Renfrew (Victory) baths is an Edwardian building with a 25 yard pool and 1920s layout of cubicles around it, arched doorways and a viewing gallery. In the entrance there is a huge war memorial listing at least 1,000 names of Renfrew men lost in the 1914-18 War.   The whole story of how the Baths came to be, how they were donated to the Burgh (complete with the text of the letter making the offer), the condition that it would house the names of the war dead is on an interesting video at    Renfrew Victory Baths is 100 – YouTube

The ad below is from the ‘Scots Athlete’ Magazine of September 1947.

Portobello Public Baths  &  Edinburgh Southern Harriers

Portobello baths were opened in 1901 and described as ‘one of the jewels of Victorian architecture in Scotland’.  An open air heated swimming pool was later added: among those who served as lifeguards was a young Sean Connery.