Cleveland Pools

Cleveland Pools stands beside the River Avon in Bath, a semi-circular lido built in 1815 to designs by John Pinch the Elder. It is the oldest surviving public outdoor swimming pool in the UK and a Grade II* listed building. The site occupies old marl pits near the river, canal and railway, once used by Bath’s working class for bathing. In the early 19th century the Bathwick Act of 1801 banned nude river bathing, prompting local donors to fund the new baths. The original complex included a main pool, a ladies’ pool and a lodge, with water drawn from the river until mains supply arrived in 1861. The pools reflect Bath’s growth as a fashionable spa town after Pulteney Bridge opened in 1792. Developers planned Bathwick as a new quarter, but financial crises and war slowed progress. Reverend Race Godfrey ran the baths from 1827, adding a ladies’ pool and a children’s pool. By the 1890s Bath Corporation took over, refurbished the site and opened it to the public. Over the 20th century competition from indoor pools led to decline, and the baths closed in 1984. Today the restored site includes the caretaker’s cottage and changing rooms arranged as a Georgian crescent. The larger pool is 41 metres long and the smaller ladies’ pool is 15 metres long. A terraced area now covers the former children’s pool, housing water treatment and heating equipment. Mature trees and seating remain in the walled garden, and plans include a river bus pontoon and water-source heat pumps. The pools reopened to swimmers in September 2023 after major flood damage in January 2024 led to another temporary closure.