A beautiful Georgian lido in Bath, reputed to be the UK’s oldest public outdoor swimming pool, is to reopen to the public next month.
The first swimmers will be able to take a bracing dip at Cleveland Pools (heated water will follow at a later date) on 10 September.
It has taken 20 years for a passionate group of volunteers to get the project to this stage and the slots for the first swims, which will be free of charge, are expected to be snapped up quickly.
Paul Simons, the chair of the Cleveland Pools Trust, said saving and reopening the site had been a huge challenge. “This has been a marathon swim, often against the tide.”
He said the sheer determination of the local community, an army of volunteers and well-wishers from farther afield – plus a £6.5m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund – had won the day.
Kevin Guy, the leader of Bath and North East Somerset council, said Cleveland Pools was a “huge asset” for the city.
Built in 1815, the site first opened as a river-fed pool and was loved by generations of Bath residents and visitors until it closed for swimming in 1984. For a short time it was used as a trout farm and in 2003 the council put the site up for sale and it was added to the English Heritage buildings-at-risk register. In 2004, the Cleveland Pools Trust was formed to try to save the site and bring it back into public use.
In September last year, a small number of people selected in a prize draw were allowed to swim in the pool and the plan was to open it to the public a few weeks later before a full opening this spring.
However, contractual negotiations and flooding last winter delayed the project. The issues have been resolved and a pontoon that will allow access to the site from the River Avon and is integral to the heating system will be installed, meaning that warm water swimming is on the horizon.
Swimming will be free on 10 September but spaces will need to be booked via the pool’s website from 10am on 2 September. Information about opening hours, swimming timetables and entry costs for 11 September onwards will be published in the coming weeks.
