| Medina House | |
|---|---|
 Pictured in August 2022 | |
  Location within Brighton and Hove | |
| Former names | Medina Baths; Hove Baths |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Bath-house |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Address | Kings Esplanade, Hove BN3 2WA |
| Town or city | Brighton and Hove |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 50°49′28″N 0°10′35″W / 50.8245°N 0.1763°W |
| Current tenants | None |
| Construction started | 1893 |
| Completed | 1894 |
| Opened | 13 September 1894 |
| Renovated | 1923 |
| Closed | Mid 1940s |
| Demolished | 2018 |
| Cost | £2,000 (site) |
| Renovation cost | £1,279 |
| Owner | Polly Samson, David Gilmour |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Paul B. Chambers |
| References | |
| [1] | |
The original Medina House in Hove, Sussex, was the eastern of two seafront buildings, located on either side of Sussex Road, which together comprised Hove Baths, later to become more popularly known as the Medina Baths.[2] The western building ('Bath House' on the map) housed the men's baths, and the eastern building housed the women's baths ('Medina House' on the map).
Initially owned by the Hove Baths and Laundry Company Limited,[3] the buildings were designed by local architect Paul B Chambers and built between 1893 and 1894. Medina House opened on 13 September 1894.[4] Inside were the women's slipper and swimming baths. These complemented the larger Men's baths and the laundry, both of which were in the building to the west of Sussex Road.[a] The baths closed in mid 1946 when the King Alfred baths opened for public use.[4] The building fell into disuse, was occupied by squatters, and then partially re-used again, until it was finally demolished in April 2018.[6]
During this period Sirus Taghan, the then owner, agreed that the occupants could remain so long as the property was kept in the same condition as before occupation. The squatters were eventually evicted in September 2006, although the property was re-occupied for a week at the end of January 2007.
Taghan submitted several applications to demolish the building. However, these were all turned down by the council and also opposed by local residents. There was a fire in the building May 2013, and again in December 2014, after which the site became increasingly derelict. The novelist Polly Samson and the guitarist David Gilmour, a couple, purchased the building in late 2015. It was demolished with the plan to build a new home for herself and Gilmour on the site in 2018. The new building on the site was completed in 2021.
- ^ Middleton 2003, Vol. 9, pp. 23–26.
- ^ a b Planning Projects Team at Brighton & Hove City Council. (2013). Medina House planning brief. p.4
- ^ Hove Baths and Laundry Company Limited. Victorian Turkish baths: their origin, development & gradual decline.
- ^ a b Middleton, Judy. (2002; rev.2023). Medina Baths & Medina House, Hove. Hove in the past. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ SX 1624 - Fire At Hove Baths Laundry, Sussex 1909. JB Archive. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ Wadsworth, Jo (19 April 2018). "Medina House demolished as Dave Gilmour's plans to rebuild it progress". Brighton and Hove News. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
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