THE Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths received an early Christmas present this week when the two mirrors that had gone missing from the Grade-II listed baths on James Street were returned.

The return followed a public appeal by the Friends group for information on the whereabouts of the 113-year-old mirrors, after it transpired that GLL, who operated the Turkish Baths on behalf of Carlisle City Council, were unaware the mirrors were missing.

Chair of the Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths, Julie Minns said: “We are over the moon to be reunited with the last two mirrors.

"At one time all ten cubicles had a mirror, but over the years they have gradually been removed and the disappearance of the last two was devastating.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who responded to our appeal for help locating the mirrors, without the overwhelming help of the local community I doubt we would have seen the mirrors ever again.”

News and Star: Despite the return of the mirrors, the Friends said that they are 'increasingly concerned by a lack of information from Carlisle City Council about the steps they are taking to protect and preserve the priceless interior of the Turkish Baths.'

Concern about the security of the Baths was heightened over the weekend when the security alarm for the building was triggered but went unattended for well over half an hour, they claimed.

“The continued silence from the city council gives us next to no confidence that the council executive and officers are taking their responsibilities as owners of this building seriously,” concluded Ms Minns.

A spokesperson for Carlisle City Council said: “We are aware of our responsibilities and will be attending to any issues regarding the maintenance of the facility.

"It’s a Grade-II listed building and we will continue to preserve it.

“The executive’s decision to mothball the Turkish Baths temporarily doesn’t mean that it will close permanently.

News and Star: “The building was already scheduled to close in early 2023 - this is when the adjacent 1970s Pools will be demolished.

“Keeping the Turkish Baths site open as a stand-alone facility would have resulted in significant costs to the council and our local taxpayers.

"There would be one off costs of up to £50,000 to be able to run the Turkish Bath’s as a standalone facility - these works would have been essential to make the site DDA compliant and provide safe exit routes in the event of a fire.

"It would have cost around £26,500 a month to keep the site operational.

“The focus should now be on realising a sustainable long-term future for the building, with its beautiful internal decoration.”

READ MORE: Major conservation works completed at Carlisle Castle by English Heritage