St James' Baths: Restoration work begins on abandoned 1930s swimming pool in Yorkshire that has been closed for 10 years to bring it back to life

However, Doncaster Council was successful in being awarded government Levelling Up funding for the site’s revival after initially struggling to sell it on the open market in 2019.

Opened in 1932, the baths were also used as a concert venue and The Beatles played there in the 1960s.The Turkish baths in the basement have an ornate mosaic floor.

The building was then offered to leisure and spa operators, with the council favouring it re-opening as a pool and health facility. Although the winning bidder has not yet submitted a planning application, they have been given consent to begin interim roof repairs and scaffolding has now been erected.

Doncaster Council’s director of corporate resources, Debbie Hogg said: “We have been working with the preferred bidder for St James’ Baths for the past few months, with the aim of bringing the building back into use.

"As part of this we have enabled them to carry out work on the roof of the building, which is why the scaffolding has been erected.

"This work will help make the building watertight and more secure before the winter period and will also help towards developing a more detailed planning and listed building application for the proposed refurbishment of the building in the future.”