Cleveland Pools

Cleveland Pools located in Hampton Row, Bath, Somerset, England is a semi-circular lido built to designs by John Pinch the elder in 1815. It is believed to be the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in England. It is a Grade II* listed building.In the Georgian period Bath had grown in popularity as a spa town. The opening of Pulteney Bridge enabled the development of Bathwick and land to the east of the River Avon. The pools were built next to the river on the site of old marl pits. The developers went bankrupt ten years after opening the pools but they were sold had operated privately until they were taken over by the local corporation in the 1890s. They then operated as a public swimming baths until the 1970s. The pool closed in 1984 and was used for a short time as a trout farm before closure and falling into disrepair. In 2005 a trust was formed to raise funds for renovation and reopening of the pools. Public support and grants from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund have aided regeneration of the site, which is expected to reopen in 2018.The original buildings survive, these include a caretaker's cottage and changing rooms arranged as a Georgian Crescent. The larger P shaped pool is long, while the smaller ladies' pool is long.