This is a rare private publication dating to 1898 - which was printed to celebrate the opening of the Edinburgh Sea Water Baths at Portobello.
The baths were designed in the late 1890s by Robert Morham, who was the City Architects for Edinburgh. Morham was responsible for many fine buildings around the capital - such as the North Bridge, Lauriston Place Fire Station (very similar in design to the Portobello Baths) and was also responsible for the transformation of Princes Street Gardens - all very topical renovation projects today.
The Water Baths (now know as the Portobello Swim Centre) were located on the Promenade on the beach front. They were built using a Renaissance-Queen Anne style. Today, it has recently undergone extensive renovations and still holds the last of Edinburgh's Victorian-built Turkish Baths.
Topics include: Edinburgh Sea Water Baths, Portobello - which discusses Portobello as a health resort, and the plans to build a public bath. It also has a sub-sections documenting the purity of the sea water here! There are descriptions of the manufacture, the Swimming Pond, The Turkish Bath, the Boiler & Laundry, Bathing Charges etc. There are tables discussing samples of water taken outside the building on 8th and 9th November 1898.
There is also a chapter discussing the Opening Ceremony and the subsequent Dinner at the Queen's Bay Hotel.
There are a lot of printed photographic images inside: these include the Front View of the Building, the Men's Swimming Pond (two views), the Ladies Swimming Pond, the Ladies Retiring Room, Refreshment Room, Smoking Room, Gymnasium, Turkish Baths, Balcony, Reeves Patent Filter.
This volume has hard covers - covered with a fine dark green cloth - and with the City Crest and title printed on the front on gold. It is a slim volume consisting of 56 pages - but an interesting historical work on the opening of this Portobello landmark some 120 years ago.
Dimensions: 24.5 x 18.5 cm
Given the rarity of this book and its fine antique condition - my asking price is a fair one. It should really be destined for an archive collection.
Some minor bumping to the corners, the spine is intact with no splitting, the dark green cover is nice and clean, there are no inscriptions inside and no scribbling - all the images and pages are present and in good clean condition.