Booklet produced as part of 2017 heritage project with Local Learning

Trinity has been awarded a development grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the next phase of works as part of our ambitious restoration project to save Jacobs Wells Baths

“This investment acts as a vital next step toward reviving this cherished Bristol asset, and I’m thrilled with the progress Trinity Community Arts has made on the project since being awarded the lease to the building." Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council

Trinity is excited to announce we have been awarded a £252k Development Phase grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to continue the restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths in Hotwells, Bristol. This grant will help advance plans to restore the Grade II Listed building alongside developing an engagement and participation plan for community and youth activities.

Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding will empower the local community to shape the next phase of the project, focusing on the voices of young people, city-wide arts networks and local residents. As part of this development phase, Trinity will work with local groups to create a new programme of heritage learning opportunities, building on past community-driven projects such as Washing In The Well, delivered with support from Local Learning.

Jacobs Wells Baths has a rich history, dating back to 1889, when it served as a public swimming bath and in the 80s, became Bristol’s only dedicated professional dance centre. The next phase of the project will include design work for the North Wing of the building, to support plans to apply for a £2m+ grant from National Lottery Heritage Fund to complete the site's transformation into a new hub for Hotwells.

Join the team

To help facilitate this exciting development, Trinity is seeking a full-time Heritage Project Manager to join the team lead the development phase of the project, with a focus on managing community engagement, overseeing stakeholder relationships, supporting design team consultation and creating a learning and participation activity plan to be delivered in 2026 alongside the phase 2 capital works.

Amy Hutchings, with the support of Anna Haydock-Wilson, created a bespoke artwork for Jacobs Wells as part of the Fundsurfer appeal. Photo: Alastair Brookes

Thank you Bristol - we wouldn't have achieved this milestone without you!

Jacobs Wells – formerly known as Bristol Community Dance Centre in Hotwells – is one step closer to being revived in 2025 following a £1,050,000 grant from The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Community Ownership Fund. The investment will help to deliver plans developed in response to a community campaign to transform the derelict space into a vibrant community arts hub.

Since the start of 2023, the race has been on to save the Grade II listed building following news that Bristol City Council had listed the asset for disposal. Backed by community stakeholders including Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, artists and local councillors, we set out on a mission to raise the funds needed to repair and restore the building.

"This is another massive step in a hugely ambitious recovery effort and the Trinity Board would like to extend our huge thanks to DLUHC, match funders and supporters for sharing our vision." Trinity Trustee Dr Fidel Meraz

This latest investment builds on Bristol City Council's 35-year Community Asset Transfer offer to Trinity and ongoing survey work funded by Nisbet Trust and match funders to assess and scope the repairs scheme and undertake emergency measures to stop further damage.

The grant from DLUHC matches over £400,000 pledged in support of the project from local funders Nisbet Trust, John James Foundation and match funders including individuals who have been donating to an online Fundsurfer appeal.

The journey so far...

The Grade II Listed building has sat dormant since 2018 and faced an uncertain future at the start of 2023 when plans to reinstate it as a pool fell through. A petition was launched to save the building by the Hotwells & Cliftonwood Community Association, with the help of Trinity and it was subsequently listed as ‘At Risk’ by SAVE Britain’s Heritage due to its dilapidated condition.

We are actively progressing detailed surveys to the fabric of the building to assess the building’s condition and viability; this includes essential surveys to scope and cost works to inform decision making and capital-works. Subject to these, Trinity’s vision is to secure an estimated £4 million for a two-phased capital project and bring the building back into use in 2025 as a home for dance and community activity. See more about our plans, here.

Trinity Trustee, Dr Fidel Meraz who has been working with staff and community supporters to drive the appeal said:

"We want to take this opportunity to share a heartfelt thank you to all who contributed to the mission so far. From the encouraging letters from residents to the dedicated volunteers who generously shared their time to help campaign to restore the building, your support has been invaluable. We wouldn't have achieved this milestone without each one of you."

Dan Norris, Metro Mayor who recently visited Jacobs Wells for a behind-the-scenes tour said:

“Jacobs Wells Baths is full of potential, and I know many local people are really behind getting this building restored and opened again for the benefit of the community. I’m delighted that the hard work of Trinity Community Arts has paid off to secure this cash.

"As I’ve seen when I looked around, there’s a lot to do to before Hotwells residents can enjoy this facility again, but the potential is amazing. This is another important step on the journey.”

“Each step in this journey paves the way for the next and this latest grant from DLUHC brings us ever closer to building's revival. Its success is still very much dependent on your support - we invite you to join us and show you care by giving to our Fundsurfer". Emma Harvey, CEO

Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor for Finance, Governance, Performance, and Culture, Bristol City Council said of the news:

“It was brilliant to see the new artwork at Jacobs Wells Baths last month, after we awarded a 35-year Community Asset Transfer lease in July to bring the Grade II listed site back to life.

"Congratulations to everyone at Trinity for securing this major £1 million investment in Jacobs Wells Baths. We hope that it will be a giant leap on the journey to delivering a thriving community arts hub.”

Our CEO Emma Harvey said:

“The success of a project like this is less about one thing and more about overcoming a series of interconnected challenges - from addressing immediate liabilities and securing funding to galvanising support from local stakeholders, alongside showing that the building has a long-term, viable future.

“Each step in this journey paves the way for the next and this latest grant from DLUHC brings us ever closer to building's revival. Its success is still very much dependent on your support - we invite you to join us and show you care by giving to our Fundsurfer".

Read more about the Community Ownership Fund here.

Workers hand carved new stone - even during the snow! Photo@Khali Ackford

#1 Emma Harvey, Centre Director

“It has to be when we did some researching into the last wedding that happened on the 26th March 1976 at Trinity. We managed to find someone whose name matched the couples on social media and decided to direct message them. It was moment of high anxiety to see the icon that they where messaging us back!

Thankfully it was to say that they where still happily married and that they were super happy we had contacted them. Cheers from us to them for 42 years together!”

Our Heart & Soul project took place alongside major repairs to Trinity. Here a participant creates woodcuts, inspired by Trinity's history. Photo@Khali Ackford

#2 Fidel Meraz, Trinity Board Member

“Sharing pizza and drinks during an afternoon with the staff and the stonemasons who were doing most of the the material work on the building, is such a wonderful memory.”

#3&4 Karina Castro, Project Manager

“ I am going to choose two .. if that is allowed … first up has to be 'A Waltz Down Memory Lane' (20 April) - a great afternoon of dancing, cakes and memory sharing attended by over 40 people over 55. This was made even more amazing by having Norma's Groovers back at Trinity entertaining our friends.

Dr McClymont's talk looked at how we repurpose old buildings. Photo@Khali Ackford

Then, Dr Katie McClymont's 'and the spirit lingered on' (19 June) - a really engaging talk that got everybody involved (inc Khali, the photographer!) about how historic buildings, particularly former churches, are now used as sites of secular worship and as community hubs."

Centre Director Emma Harvey shares the floor with TCA founder Matthew Hewitt and long standing DM and former Centre Manager Derreck Sterling. Photo@Khali Ackford

#5 Glyn Everett, Chair of Trustees
“I really enjoyed the talk 'Reconstructing Trinity from Disrepair to Glory' (31 July) - A wonderful conversation around the different moments of history that the Trinity has seen, and all the heartfelt effort that has gone into keeping the building open, safe and working for the communities that surround it."

About Heart & Soul

From January to October 2018 we celebrated Trinity's place at the heart of the community through a programme of accessible heritage activities, workshops and events. The activities took place alongside our most recent capital works to conserve and renovate the building and where funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England, Bristol City Council and other charitable Trusts & Foundations.

Fidel Meraz delivers his talk about re-using historic buildings. Image credit @Khali Photography

Our Heart & Soul project celebrated people's major life events at Trinity and ran alongside our current building conservation works. As part of the project we wanted to explore further the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings. The project included a series of talks, inviting both national and international speakers to share their knowledge and experience on the positives and pitfalls of re-imaging historic buildings.

Speaking from an architecture perspective about how a space can be adapted to better serve the community, Trinity Trustee and UWE Senior Lecturer Fidel Meraz delivered the first talk of this programme, and talked about buildings around the world where the function has changed over time, Feb 27 2018...

Most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week - by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

What was really compelling about Fidel’s talk was that he spoke in metaphors of the human life, about the way buildings are born as beautiful and well attended sacred buildings, then decline over time until finally they are not active. He used the example that when an elderly person struggles to walk, we give them crutches, and this is also the way he likes elderly buildings to be treated.

An interesting point was made that most churches were originally built to hold a service once a week, therefore in some cases by giving them a second life, the building accommodates for a far larger audience.

When we approach a church we have a predetermined view of what will be inside, Meraz explained, so it is exciting to be surprised by what we find. In Asturias, Spain, the Santa Barbara Church was abandoned and crumbling until the community took action. They raised money and with sponsorship from Red Bull too, it was converted into a vibrantly colourful indoor skate park.

Through time the architectural intention has changed from a place of worship to a space of activity, but the purpose of the building as a space to serve the community remains. He compared the Santa Barbara Church with the Trinity Centre because in both cases what you find on the inside is unexpected and fun.

A lively discussion began after Fidel's talk around Old Market and gentrification. Image credit @Khali Photography

From Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces. Tess Sieling, project intern

After the talk, Edson Burton invited a discussion between the audience and Meraz, in which the future of the Trinity Centre, Old Market and Bristol were spoken about. Concerns were voiced about the gentrification of Old Market area, which highlights the role the Trinity Centre plays in serving communities.

There is a sense that it is now in a crucial era where the Trinity Centre’s responsibility is to remain accessible to all communities without judgement and, from, Fidel’s talk I learned that the world is full amazing ideas of how to reuse spaces.

This write up was by Tess Sieling, who was the project intern on the Heart & Soul heritage project. The talk was part of a series exploring the challenges and achievements of transforming and preserving historic buildings and was programmed in collaboration with Bristol's Architecture Centre and the University of West England (UWE).

How to get involved

Click here to sign the Hotwells and Cliftonwood petition to Save Jacobs Wells Baths

Further reading

Read more from our Heart & Soul talk series - Father Paul, - Dr Katie McClymont, and A Million Bricks of Love.

Read more about the Save Jacobs Wells Campaign here.