100-year-old Art Deco terraced house attached to landmark swimming pool going to auction
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
The home is painted in the unmistakable sea blue just like its historic neighbour
A 1920s Art Deco house attached to a former much-loved swimming baths is going to auction later this month. The quirky home nestled in the busy street made up of mostly Edwardian houses is attached to the old Maindee Pool.
Thousands of local children learned to swim inside the unmistakable sea blue building at Victoria Avenue which has been permanently closed for 20 years. While the building has deteriorated, the attached three-bedroom terraced is still lived in, and will soon be vacant when the current tenant departs on January 1, 2023.
Maindee Pool opened in 1938 and cost between £38,000 and £40,000 to build, but was closed in December 2005. Since two fires in 2007, the building has been boarded up, but there are some hints of its former glory. If you look closely in the video above you can see the benches along the pool, as well as the painted fish, dolphins and trees which remain on the walls inside.
The pool and the attached house has been put up for auction a number of times. In May 2008 it sold for £76,000, and again in 2009 with a guide price of £52,000 for just the pool building, which eventually sold for £56,000 in 2010.
The three-bedroom house, now with a guide price of £139,000, is covered by the Grade II listing given by Cadw to the whole site in 2002, which also includes the property's Art Deco railings and three sets of double gates. The house has two reception rooms and a kitchen on the ground floor and three bedrooms and a bathroom with separate toilet on the first floor.
The dining room has a curved bay with classic Art Deco designed windows and a door out to the garden, and the lounge and master bedroom both occupy the other classic feature from this distinctive era of design - a curved wall.
Angie Davey, of Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “Historic Maindee baths is surely one of the most recognisable buildings in Newport. The property we're offering is the terraced house attached to the former baths building, it is even painted in the same eye-catching blue.
"The property, at 1 Victoria Road, Maindee, provides lounge, dining room, kitchen, wc, bathroom and three bedrooms. There are gardens to the front and rear with shed and door to leading to front. The property is to be sold with tenant in situ with a current rental of £700 pcm.
"The former Maindee baths is an Art Deco building. The disused, empty swimming pool has been used for location shots in the BBC TV series Being Human. There are good commuter links via Newport train station and the M4.”
There is only a small selection of original Art Deco homes to be found within Wales compared to the design and buildings of other eras. The property is being offered at the Paul Fosh Auctions online sale, which starts at 12pm on Tuesday, December 13 and ends from 5pm on Thursday, December 15.
Story by Jonathon Hill via WalesOnline. Click here to view full story