Two views of the hararah (the first hot room) facing north towards Jermyn Street.

The image on the left is a presentation drawing for architect George Somers Clarke's clients by draughtsman George Daniel Stevenson. Such illustrations are intended to show clients how their project will appear when complete. When appropriate, they typically include people and, these days, vehicles and trees, and are not intended to appear realistic. A sepia photograph of this image is pasted opposite the title page as a frontispiece in my own copy of Fife's Manual of the Turkish bath.

The wood engraving on the right, published before the baths were open, is clearly based on Stevenson's original, though speed being of the essence in weekly periodicals, there are fewer bathers depicted. Urquhart, well experienced in generating publicity for his endeavours, would have arranged access for chosen journalists to the architect's description and illustrations of the building. Indeed, the articles in The Illustrated London News could not have been written without such access.

This page first published 01 January 2023