Here we look at some photos from the Oxford Mail archive from 1977. Residents were busy protesting to save local amenities, including Oxford Stadium, and the public baths in east Oxford.
In 1977, the nation celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee with lots of street parties.
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The same year in Oxford, people were campaigning to stop the East Oxford baths from closing.
The city council established slipper baths - so called because they looked like a slipper, with one end deeper than the other and a sloping back for bathers to rest against - in St Ebbe’s, South and East Oxford, St Barnabas and Greyfriars.
Three regulars at the East Oxford baths arrived with a petition in 1977 to prevent their closure.
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The South Oxford baths, in Lake Street, opened in 1961 and closed a year later through lack of use, but the others were well used.
In 1954, more than 700 people in East Oxford, where a third of the 3,748 homes did not have a bath, signed a petition calling for public baths.
The building, at the corner of Howard Street and Catherine Street, opened in April 1959, with six baths and four showers.
A bath cost sixpence and a shower fourpence.
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More than 250 people attended in the first four days and within six months, 6,488 had used it.
But as the 1960s progressed and more homes had bathrooms fitted, attendances began to fall.
Charges were increased and opening times reduced, but to no avail.
The last one to close was in East Oxford, in March 1978.
City engineer David Butler said at the time: “Every bath costs about 10 times as much as we charge.
"It reflects the general improvement in housing in East Oxford.”
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning.
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