Building record MDR24197 - Queens Leisure Centre, Cathedral Road, Derby

Queens Leisure Centre, Cathedral Road, Derby, built c1930. The building was considered for adding to the National Heritage List for England in 2024 but was rejected. The report on the building and the reasons for its rejection is available. (1) 'DISCUSSION The Department of Culture, Media and Sport's Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings (DCMS, November 2018) sets out the statutory criteria for designation explaining that, to be added to the List, buildings must be of special architectural and historic interest. The guidance states that buildings dating from 1700 to 1850 which retain a significant proportion of their original fabric are likely to be regarded of special interest, though some selection is necessary; due to the number of buildings constructed after 1850, greater selectivity is needed when considering structures built after this date. The Historic England Listing Selection Guide for Sports and Recreation Buildings (December 2017) provides further context for the assessment of this specific building type. The designs for Derby’s Queen Street Swimming Baths were produced by borough architect Charles Herbert Aslin, with oversight of the works from his chief assistant Charles Ernest Stafford. The classical entrance on Queen Street makes a statement and features some well-executed detailing including a semi-circular ashlar stone lobby with a circular relief sculpture of the Derby coat of arms. The entrance was evidently intended to impress visitors with some expense spent on the design. The former gala pool to the rear is more understated in its design than the entrance range but nevertheless has subtle features which add interest to the south elevation. There is a good level of survival of the exterior of the 1930s gala pool and internally, the baths retain some original, good-quality fittings. Though the former swimming baths retain some original fittings there have also been significant losses, particularly to the interior. This is perhaps most notable within the former gala pool, with the vast majority of finishes dating from the late-C20 refurbishment. An inserted late-C20 gallery and tiled partition below are now situated at the west end of the pool where the moveable diving platform would have once stood. Though there has been some effort to recreate the original 1930s plasterwork design on the barrel-vaulted ceiling, as a whole the pool now has a predominately late-C20 feel with all wall and floor finishes replaced during this period of renovation. This level of alteration also carries through to the pool’s changing rooms with all finishes dating from the late C20. There has been less intervention within the women’s pool to the north, with the pool itself retaining its form and original tiled surfaces. However, the changing rooms also have late-C20 tiling and the pool’s perimeter seating is a later insertion. The original entrance on Queen Street was subdivided from the pools in the late C20 and though it retains some good quality fittings within the ashlar stone lobby, it too has been altered with modern glazing inserted into the giant brick arch and the entrance beyond the lobby having C21 finishes and fittings as part of its current office use. The expansion of the former pools over the years has also affected the legibility of Aslin’s original design with the leisure centre extended in the mid and late-C20 to the west. This enlargement initially took the form of a new children’s pool at the south-west end of the building in 1962 which saw the partial demolition of the original slipper baths. The building continued to be altered during the latter half of the C20 with the 1989 redevelopment of the building giving the leisure centre its current form and character. While the new 1989 entrance range to some extent attempted to match the style of the 1930s pool to the east, it has limited architectural quality and detailing and impacts upon the integrity of Aslin’s original design. Charles H Aslin is a well-regarded architect of the period and was influential in shaping the centre of Derby in the inter-war period with his Central Improvement Plan leading to a number of changes in the city centre. Aslin designed Derby’s Magistrates Court (Grade II, NHLE: 1379958) and Council House with a number of listed buildings also located outside of the city including the Aboyne Lodge School in St Albans (Grade II, NHLE: 1393724). While Aslin was clearly an accomplished architect, his design for the Queen Street Swimming Baths has been compromised by later alterations, with the interior on the whole now having a late-C20 character. The former swimming baths are therefore too altered to merit addition to the List, though they remain of good local interest. CONCLUSION After examining all the records and other relevant information and having carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of this case, the criteria for listing are not fulfilled. Queen’s Leisure Centre is not recommended for listing, a Certificate of Immunity should therefore be issued. REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION Queen’s Leisure Centre in Derby, constructed in 1930-1932 to the designs of Charles H Aslin, is not recommended for listing and a Certificate of Immunity should be issued for the following principal reasons: Degree of Architectural Interest: * though a confident and well-executed design by borough architect Charles H Aslin, the former swimming baths have been subject to considerable alterations to both the exterior and interior which have affected the overall level of survival and the building’s character; * the planform of the swimming baths has been altered, with the original entrance now subdivided from the pool and the building extended to the west. Degree of Historic Interest: * though of interest as a civic building in Derby designed by the influential inter-war architect, Charles H Aslin, the swimming baths is too altered to merit listing.' (1)