Behind the hoardings a £2m rejuvenation project is well under way at iconic Ripon site
A key element in the meticulous rejuvenation works at Ripon’s iconic Spa Baths is now under way.
The semi-derelict site was bought by Ripon-based investment and development company Sterne Properties Limited in October 2024 after being closed in November 2021 by the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council closed the baths in readiness for the opening of the new six-lane swimming pool constructed at Dallamires Lane.
Robert Sterne told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog: “When we acquired the building from North Yorkshire Council, it was in a poor state of repair, as could be expected for a property that had stood empty for three years.”
But progress is being made at the historic site, which dates from 1905.
Behind the hoardings at the Park Street site, highly experienced joiner Malcolm Foster is spending every hour of his working day repairing, restoring and replacing window frames to the very high standard required for a Grade II Listed building.
Mr Sterne said: “The work that Malcolm is doing right now is helping to make the Edwardian spa building fully watertight.
"Malcom has been involved in a number of our regeneration projects in Ripon and Knaresborough, working alongside builder Paul Fountain, who is his son-in-law, but this will be his final piece of work for us, because he is retiring as soon as he has completed the task at Spa Baths.”
The £2 million hospitality and leisure led scheme at the Spa Baths, designed by Ripon-based architect Andrew Burningham of Architecture:AB, will see the original facade of the building returned to its former glory.
Four new-build luxury apartments to the rear of the Park Street site will, along with two commercial units, ensure the financial viability of the regeneration project.
Malcolm Foster, who learnt his trade at Harrogate-based housebuilder and construction contractor CK Batchelor Ltd, started out as a 15-year-old apprentice in 1966 and went on to work for the company for almost 50 years.
“It’s a privilege to have a hand in the restoration of such a prestigious building as Ripon’s Spa Baths, though it has its own challenges,” he said.