The Eastway Public Baths opened to the public in 1935, during a period when the provision of public bathing facilities became a priority for many local authorities due to growing awareness regarding public health. With domestic washing facilities still scarce at the time, the art deco building provided 24 slipper baths (six of which were first-class) for each sex organised into two wings, complete with waiting rooms and toilets.

Today, the former women’s wing houses our Civic Classroom, while the first-class section has been converted into the men’s toilets. The former men’s wing now serves as the corridor and studio space leading to the garden, with our kitchen occupying its first-class area. Originally, the space also included a ticket office, administrative offices, a small café, and second-floor accommodation for the resident engineer. Another part of the project was a stand-alone laundry building, located just to the East, which is currently used as artists’ studios, operated by Space Studios. 

By the 1970s, private bathrooms had become the norm, leading to wide-spread closure of public bath buildings. The Eastway Baths ceased operation in 1974. Over the following two decades, the building served as a local community space, accommodating various events and activities. In 1994, it was redeveloped and opened as the council-operated Hackney Wick Community Centre, which functioned until 2009. After three years of dormancy, the building re-opened as the Cre8 Lifestyle Centre, a multi-functional event space run by the London Coaching Foundation. In 2017, the space became The Old Baths, featuring a café, a gallery, an event space, a darkroom, and a film & photography studio. In 2020, the building was taken over by Civic State. Renamed simply The Baths, it became the successor to Stour Space—an important cultural & community centre operating on Fish Island from 2009 to 2019. In 2023, its name was changed to The Bath House.