The Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths took 20 lucky people back in time m with a tour of Carlisle's historic James Street Baths.

As part of their campaign to save and develop the Baths as a Health and Wellbeing Centre, the Friends group organised two tours of the Grade II listed Turkish Baths on Sunday 1 August.

The 40 minute tours took the visitors back in time, painting a picture of the James Street area as it was in the 1800s with rows of terraced houses interspersed with mills and factories and overshadowed by the gas works on the banks of the Caldew River.

Kelly and Jayson Bowes were amongst the first people to book onto the tour.

Kelly, who lives in Currock, said: “Until I saw the campaign on Facebook I had no idea Carlisle even had Turkish Baths!

"So when I spotted that the Friends group were doing a tour I booked me and Jayson on it right away.

"It was really informative but the star of the show is definitely the building.

"The tiling, stained glass and the heat literally took our breath away.

"The first thing we did when we got home was go online and book a session, I cannot wait to get in the plunge pool when it's actually full!”

Over half of the people who joined the tour had, until very recently, been unaware that Carlisle possessed one of the last remaining Victorian style Turkish Baths in the country.

Chair of the Friends Group, Julie Minns, explained to visitors that although always planned as part of the Public Baths, the decision to open and fund the Turkish Baths was beset by political debate and delay.

Even the opening was a low key affair and the budget for promotion was only agreed two and half weeks before the Baths opened on 20 September 1909.

She added: "Perhaps those early days were a foreshadowing of the current debate about the funding and retention of these beautiful baths"

Visitors learned about various attempts to close the Baths over the years.

The tour concluded with the Friends Group explaining that Carlisle's Turkish Baths, despite being one of only 12 that remain open to the public, now face the gravest threat of their 112 year history, with the Public Baths that they have always been an integral part of, are as it stands unfortunately set to close next year.