#OnThisDay—2 Feb 1861—Charles Bartholomew, a farmhand's son & Secretary of David Urquhart's #Bristol Foreign Affairs Committee, opened his College Green #TurkishBaths, replacing a small experimental one at Mill La, Bedminster. When he died in 1889, he owned a chain of 8 Turkish baths spread from Manchester to Eastbourne. Bristol's was open till at least mid-1940s. Except for the façade, the building—originally the Great Western Hotel built for #Brunel—was demolished in 1982.
#histodons #bathing