Introduction
From CPT
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Hidden away in Bathwick, on the banks of the River Avon, is the country's only surviving Georgian lido. Closed over twenty years ago, the Cleveland Pleasure Pools were at one time a favourite summer destination for generations of Bathonians. Now a campaign is underway to re-open the pools for public bathing.
The Cleveland swimming pools in Bath were built at the beginning of the nineteenth century and provided open air bathing for the city's residents until their closure during the 1970s (although they re-opened temporarily for a short period in the mid-1980s). Other than a brief and unsuccessful life as a trout farm, they have been closed ever since.
With the help of the Prince's Regeneration Trust and the Trevor Osborne Property Group, the Cleveland Pools Trust has been in negotiations with Bath & North East Somerset Council with a view to acquiring and restoring this unique Grade II* site. Following an initial feasibility study supported by the Architectural Heritage Fund, £64,000 was raised with the assistance of English Heritage and contributions from The Osborne Group, The Duke of Cornwall's Benevolent Fund and the Cleveland Pools Trust.
Once reinstated, the Cleveland Pools will fulfil a key role in the Bath World Heritage Site while providing a focus on leisure, healthy living, ecology and education for the local community. Below is a draft plan of the possible design.
Following grant funding from English Heritage, a substantial programme of assessment of the Pools site took place in 2010, continuing into 2011. The work included specialist analyses including engineering, building condition, access to and within the site, flooding risk and arboriculture. The pool was drained last autumn and the underlying structure of the main pool was confirmed to be sound. These assessments were taken into account during the preparation of a comprehensive business plan.
Following the proposed restoration swimming would be offered in a heated 25 metre outdoor pool, with changing rooms and shower facilities. Natural water treatment is the preferred solution and will be more cost effective. Plans also include a children’s splash pool and a small heritage exhibition.
The future use of the site will need to support a number of events as these will be important to contribute to revenue income. We hope to keep these to a minimum, though, as restoring public swimming to this historic site is the primary aim of the CPT.
For a bird's eye view of the pools click here.
The Trust's Options Appraisal is available to download from the Links page here.
Some significant progress at last - after months of meetings and many hours at our computers, the Trustees have completed a Stage 1 Heritage Lottery bid application which will be submitted in early April 2012. Then comes the nail-biting wait to hear if we have been successful and can enter the Development Phase when the hard work really starts! The HLF Board meets on 16/17th July to decide our fate so watch this space and the local press for the news after that.
Click here to download an information leaflet. (PDF, 1.6MB)
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For more information email info@clevelandpools.org.uk.
