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PUBLIC BATHS AMD WASHHOUSES
The Council has four bathing establishments in the Borough.
This service includes swimming baths, slipper baths, Turkish Baths,
Public Laundry and the use of the premises for social and sporting
activities during the winter.
The demand for the improved Public Laundry service at
Plumstead Baths continued to grow, and in the year under review
18,295 people attended, against 12,924 for the previous year; an
increase of 5,371.
Following the successful conversion of the Woolwich Baths
plant to Oil fuel, the Plumstead Baths plant has now also been
converted with equal success.
The highlight of this year has been the large increases in
attendances which have been recorded, and in particular for swimming.
In 1950/51, 495,792 attendances were recorded, whereas in
1956/57, the total attendances had risen to 717,139 - an increase of
approximately 45 per cento in only six years.
This remarkable increase is due mainly to two factors, (l) the
televising of swimming events which has increased the interest in
this sport, and (2) the greater importance which Education Authorities
are placing on the need for children to be able to swim3 A3
evidence of this, 84,600 children attended at the Baths in organised
classes in l948/49,and in 1956/57 this figure had jumped to l62,220o
The total attendances during the year ended 31st March,1957
were as follows
Public Swimming
Swimming Tuition
School Swimming
Slipper Baths
Turkish Baths
Public Laundry -
332.631
12.166
162.220
139.409
9 9.901
Machine Washing
Swimming Clubs
Schoolchildren ~
Hand Washing
12.132
6.163
33.134
Cricket School
Free Baths to Old Age
Pensioners and Unemployed
5.004
Persons
4.379
717,139
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