THE MANCHESTER VICTORIA BATHS TRUST

What THE MANCHESTER VICTORIA BATHS TRUST does

The Manchester Victoria Baths Trust is a UK-registered charity (No. 1026351) and company limited by guarantee (No. 02841292), founded in 1993 by local residents to save Victoria Baths, a Grade II* listed Edwardian 'water palace' in Manchester that opened in 1906 and closed in 1993. The Trust manages the building on behalf of its owner, Manchester City Council, under a formal management remit granted in 2001, and operates it as a heritage visitor attraction, multi-space event venue, and community hub. Core operations span venue hire (weddings, arts and community events, commercial hires, filming), guided tours at £10 per person, seasonal Welcome Tuesdays with free public entry (April–September), educational visits, on-site Tea Room and Gift Shop, an e-commerce shop, and an archive research service. The Trust runs a tiered Friends membership scheme (£3–£1,000/year) and a recurring monthly giving programme from £5/month, supplemented by volunteer activity that was recognised with the Queen's Award for Volunteering in 2019.

Name

THE MANCHESTER VICTORIA BATHS TRUST

Legal name

Victoria Baths Trust

Website

https://victoriabaths.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Manchester Victoria Baths Trust manages Victoria Baths, a Grade II* listed Edwardian heritage building in Manchester, as a visitor attraction and event venue serving the public, wedding clients, arts organisations, and commercial hirers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Venue and Event Space

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Thermal Baths, Hot Springs & Saunas (Onsen, Hammams, Banya, Sauna Worlds) (THAJAHAD)

Keywords

• Heritage venue management
• Event venue hire
• Wedding venue services
• Heritage preservation charity
• Community arts space

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venue Hire: Rental income from hiring spaces for weddings, special occasions, arts and community events, and commercial use. Multiple spaces available including Gala Pool, Females Pool, Sports Hall, Turkish Baths Rest Room, Pineapple Room, and entrance halls.
2. Tours and Admissions: Revenue from guided tours (£10 per person) and optional extras like cream teas (£7.50). Public Welcome Tuesdays offer free entry with optional paid tours and refreshments.
3. Donations and Memberships: Voluntary donations from visitors and supporters, plus Friends membership subscriptions ranging from £3/year (Neighbour) to £1000/year (Inner Circle). Monthly giving programme from £5/month for Restoration Supporters.
4. Events and Ticketed Activities: Revenue from ticketed public events including festivals, performances (e.g., Manchester Camerata concerts at £25), seasonal fairs, and special activities.
5. Retail (Tea Room and Shop): In-person sales from Tea Room (drinks, snacks, cream teas) and Gift Shop (souvenirs, gifts, Victoria Baths merchandise).
6. Filming and Photography: Fees charged for bespoke filming and photography requests at the venue. Victoria Baths has been used for TV dramas including Peaky Blinders and Life on Mars.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Manchester Victoria Baths Trust manages Victoria Baths, a Grade II* listed Edwardian heritage building in Manchester, offering venue hire for weddings, special occasions, arts and community events, and commercial use. Public access is provided through Welcome Tuesdays open days and guided tours, supported by an on-site Tea Room and Gift Shop, educational visits, archive access, and a tiered Friends membership programme. The Trust funds ongoing heritage preservation through venue hire income, ticket sales, donations, and membership subscriptions.

Product overview

The Manchester Victoria Baths Trust operates Victoria Baths, a Grade II* listed Edwardian heritage building in Manchester, as a multi-faceted visitor attraction and events venue. The Trust offers a portfolio of services centered around venue hire for events (weddings, special occasions, arts and community events, and commercial use), public access through Welcome Tuesdays and guided tours, educational programs, and heritage preservation activities. Revenue is generated through venue hire fees, ticket sales for tours and events, memberships (Friends program), donations, and on-site spending in the Tea Room and Gift Shop. The organization relies heavily on volunteer support and charitable donations to maintain the historic building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venue Hire

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 35,000 visitors annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manchester City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwns the Victoria Baths building and has given the Trust formal management responsibility. Trust manages the building on behalf of the Council.
• Pool ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist studio that began using the building in 1999, contributing to early arts programming while restoration was planned.
• Barclays BankminorStrategic or Co-development Partner60 volunteers from Barclays Bank spent a day transforming the laundry and other parts of the building in November 2004.
• Great Northern Contemporary Craft FairminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMade Victoria Baths their permanent home in 2021 following successful events at the venue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Moseley Road Baths: Grade II* listed Edwardian baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, run by a community trust and partially restored. The most directly comparable peer given the shared heritage baths identity, volunteer-driven trust structure, and restoration-led operating model.
• Bramley Baths: Historic Edwardian swimming baths in Bramley, Leeds, operated as a community enterprise offering swimming, fitness, and community programmes. Directly comparable as a heritage baths venue combining sport, events, and community programming.
• Ironmonger Row Baths: Historic Victorian baths in Islington, London. Comparable as a restored heritage bathhouse offering swimming, spa and community services in a protected historic building.
• Haggerston Baths: Historic Edwardian public baths in Hackney, London, under ongoing community trust restoration efforts. Directly comparable as a heritage baths venue in community trust stewardship with similar fundraising-led restoration model.
• Burghley House: Elizabethan stately home in Lincolnshire offering heritage venue hire for weddings, events and filming. Comparable as a UK heritage property generating the majority of revenue through weddings, events and visitor experiences.

Broad incumbents

• The Whitworth: Manchester art gallery and heritage venue with cafe, shop, events programme and wedding hire. Comparable as a Manchester heritage venue offering the same mix of exhibitions, retail, venue hire and visitor programming.
• People's History Museum: Manchester's national museum of democracy. Comparable as a Manchester heritage/cultural venue offering tours, exhibitions, venue hire and community engagement programming, though collection-led rather than building-led.
• Manchester Art Gallery: Major Manchester heritage venue with exhibitions, cafe, shop and events programme. Comparable as a Manchester cultural heritage venue offering similar visitor services, retail and venue hire to Victoria Baths.
• Quarry Bank Mill: National Trust heritage site with restored mill, gardens and visitor programming. Comparable as a heritage venue offering tours, events, retail and volunteer-driven operations at a partially restored historic property.

Regional players

• Tatton Park: National Trust heritage estate in Cheshire with mansion tours, gardens, events and weddings. Comparable as a UK heritage venue combining weddings, ticketed events and visitor programming, though run by a national charity rather than an independent trust.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/victoriabaths
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5uzxZ8xTe18zukGMBp62ew/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/VictoriaBaths
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-manchester-victoria-baths-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/victoriabaths

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about THE MANCHESTER VICTORIA BATHS TRUST