Chasing beauty

Manchester’s Victoria Swimming baths brims with faded beauty.

Last Sunday, we sneaked into Manchester’s Victorian swimming baths (opened in 1906, closed because of disrepair in 1993).

There are some places and scenes that instantly thrill you as a photographer. When everywhere you look is a perfectly framed photograph. This is the feeling we chase.

The baroque architecture, glazed emerald tiling, towering ceilings, mosaic floors, and terracotta detailing combine with the faded beauty of exposed walls, bare floorboards, peeling wallpaper, and stripped-back laths, like bones laid bare.

Here I share some of the photos taken of this stunning, but melancholic, building.