The Victorians built a number of city baths in Edinburgh, with the intention of fighting cholera. The Infirmary Street baths were one of the city’s first public baths, built between 1885 and 1887, in the heart of the Old Town where basic washing facilities were truly absent.
The baths were damaged by fire in the 1950s and largely neglected until they officially closed in 1995. However, this historical site has been given a new lease on life with an £8 million renovation which has seen the baths transformed into the home of weaving experts Dovecot Studios.
The former bathing pool area is now an expansive and well lit weaving area; the expansive wall space is painted a fresh white as the perfect backdrop for some of the huge and stunning tapestries that are displayed.
Dovecot Studios can be found at 10 Infirmary Street. The facility is open Mondays to Saturdays, 11am to 6pm. Admission is free. Further details are at www.dovecotstudios.com
