Is there a better childhood memory than tropical wave pools and water slide splash downs sending chlorinated water gushing up your nose?
For years, water parks and swimming pools have been the places where kids have loved to spend their free time. Sadly, over the years, some of our favourite water attractions in-and-around Greater Manchester have closed and been repurposed or demolished.
It was only a couple of generations ago that Mancunians were spoilt-for-choice when it came to having such a place on their doorstep. As well as water parks with their water slides and wave machines, there were also more traditional indoor and outdoor pools that are just as fondly remembered.
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Thankfully, building work has started on the £250m indoor Therme water park next to the Trafford Centre, which is great news for the next generation of children and their families. Visitors can expect thermal pools and spas, as well as swim-up bars, saunas and wellness suites all set within botanical gardens and "living slides" covered in thousands of plants.
It's estimated that the new water park will open in 2025. Until then, here are seven water parks and pools that Mancunians loved back in the day but are sadly no longer around.
If you think of any other water attractions in or around Greater Manchester that you think should be included, let us know in the comments.
The Water Place
For years, families flocked to the state-of-the art fun centre on Great Moor Street in the middle of Bolton town centre. At a cost of £5.8m, Bolton's Water Place was opened to huge fanfare by Her Majesty the Queen in 1988.
The Water Place featured two massive 100m water flumes that went right to the top of the building, from where screaming kids would hurtle down, ending with a giant splash to the sounds of disco music pumping around the building. It also had rubber dinghy rapids, a wave machine and palm trees which had been imported from Florida.
And it wasn't just rides that drew people to the Water Place. Built over two floors, it also featured a a spa pool, health pool and children's pool, a cafeteria, gym, meeting rooms and office space.
Sadly, the leisure complex closed in 2002 with debts of £750,000. Leaking cash and with less people using the fun centre, it emerged the building needed £4.5 million worth of repairs and was sold for around £2m. The building was demolished three years later and became a car park for Morrisons.
Galleon Pool
This lost Manchester outdoor pool was loved by holidaymakers and footballers. Believed to be founded in the 1930s, the Galleon was located in East Didsbury and has previously been referred to as "Manchester's first outdoor swimming pool."
The open air pool was closed in the 1980s and demolished. The Galleon Hotel and Leisure Club in Didsbury now stands on the site.
Gorton Tub
Approaching the unassuming council building with housed Gorton Tub, you would never have guessed the exotic oasis that lay inside. But once inside, a tropical indoor playground was revealed that became renowned across Manchester.
Gorton Tub made memories that lasted a lifetime and was the place every child wanted to go. Despite its name making it sound like a Victorian bathhouse, it was far from just any ordinary suburban swimming pool - it was Manchester's own inner-city water park.
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Just like The Water Place in Bolton, Gorton Tub opened to great fanfare in 1988. Crowds of kids spent many fun-filled hours splashing about in its chlorinated water before heading for a Slush Puppie and a chocolate bar, or if you were lucky, a burger and chips.
The tropically themed pool housed several water flume slides, including a huge central one with steps going to the top that almost reached the ceiling. There were also river rapids, a whirlpool, a beach area and a paddling pool.
The tub later underwent a re-brand, changing its name to Neptune's Kingdom after the Roman god of the sea. A cartoon depicting Neptune surrounded by exotic fish stood above the main entrance on the building.
Sadly, the lost indoor water attraction closed in 2001, with reports of rising costs and falling numbers. An audit of leisure facilities is said to have been carried out in the run up to the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the pool was ultimately deemed too expensive to run.
The former tub is now home to the City of Manchester Institute of Gymnastics.
Rhyl Sun Centre
Not in Greater Manchester but for years, school holidays weren’t complete without launching yourself down one of the flumes at Rhyl Sun Centre. Opened in June 1980, it was the largest indoor pool in Europe at the time and thousands of families from Manchester would travel there to enjoy a day out.
Back in the '80s and '90s, children would spend hours playing on the famous octopus slide, the monorail cars and in the wave pool - and for adults, there were coin operated sunbeds at the poolside and people were even allowed to smoke.
Sadly, in 2014, it was announced that the centre would be pulled down to make way for a revamp of Rhyl’s waterfront. For a few years, all that remained of Rhyl Sun Centre were fond memories, but in 2019, SC2 - a brand new £15 million water park and adventure centre - opened in Rhyl, offering indoor and outdoor water play for all ages and abilities.
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Heaton Park Paddling Pool
A photograph posted online of a long lost paddling pool sparked wonderful nostalgic memories from those who remember using it as kids. The old paddling pool in Heaton Park was located next to the main playground.
It was once a popular attraction for families with children who would spend hours playing in the shallow water. Sadly, by the late 1990s, the pool was in a poor state and was eventually filled in by the council.
Despite it's poor condition in its later years, many people still have fond memories of the paddling pool from their own childhoods.
Bradford Baths
Manchester was once home to several bathhouses which benefitted generations of families by offering vital washing facilities and swimming lessons. Bradford Baths in east Manchester was built in 1909 and also referred to as Barmouth Street Baths and Washhouse.
It was a place where people could swim - wash, dry and iron clothes - and even get a hot bath. Many who used the baths from the 1950s through to when it was closed in the 1980s, remember it as the place where teachers took them every week for swimming lessons.
It was there people remember the pool's terrifying - but much respected - instructor, blowing her whistle and stalking the poolside with a long white pole to fish out any floundering stragglers. When the baths and washhouse first opened, records show it had three separate swimming pools, over 60 baths and a public laundry area. In the 1950s, an indoor bowling green was added.
Sadly the baths closed their doors for good in the 1980s and demolished.
Harpurhey Baths
Harpurhey Baths opened in 1910, in Rochdale Road, and had three swimming pools, wash rooms and a huge laundrette. There was also an abundance of slipper baths - a bath with a high end to lean against - for visitors to bathe in. Interestingly, there were 45 slipper baths for the men and only 18 for the women.
Many locals learnt how to swim at Harpurhey Baths in the three pools which varied in size, with lessons being held weekly for children. Some families chose to wash at the bathhouse rather than bathe at home due to it being cheaper and easier, especially after the war.
It was a central part of the Manchester community until its closure as a public swimming pool in 2001. The iconic terracotta building still stands on Rochdale Road with its stunning original stained glass windows and tiles.
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