This is the sad state of a former swimming pool in Newport nearly 20 years after it closed permanently. Maindee pools on Victoria Avenue opened in 1938 and was once the site where thousands of people learned how to swim.
Having once been the site of many gym class embarrassments and friendly (or not-so-friendly) competitions, the pool closed in December 2005 and was replaced by the new pool in Spytty. It has been left empty ever since and today the historic Art Deco building is a sorry site, having fallen into dereliction and disrepair and being the target of arson attacks on several occasions.
Now a video taken by a local has shown how far removed the pools are from their heyday, with the main pool a crumbled shadow of its former self and much of the paint peeled off the walls. There are some hints of its former glory though - if you look closely you can see the benches along the pool where many would sit and watch in trepidation for their turn to come, as well as the painted fish and trees which remain on the walls inside to this day.
