Historical swimming baths forced to close will reopen next year after £6.5million revamp
LANE CLOSURE
Plus, another pool that was built on the site of a former hospital
- Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
THE reopening of Swindon's Health Hydro has been pushed back to early 2026.
During the £6.5million renovation, unexpected discoveries have meant the pool, that's the longest in Wiltshire, has been forced to stay closed for longer than expected.
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The town's historic 33-metre hydro pool closed in 2023 for a costly revamp that was supposed to only take 18 months.
The work began in April 2023 to update the Grade-II listed Health Hydro on Milton Road in Swindon.
The pool opened more than 130 years ago and its side was built by Great Western Railway workers who gave some of their wages to fund the project.
The washing baths were built in 1891, with the Turkish and Russian baths being added in 1904.
The restoration project has been extended due to unforeseen challenges discovered after the building closed.
These included the need to redesign parts of the structure while preserving its historical structure as well as the removal of asbestos.
The first phase of the restoration is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
This includes making the site safe, and refurbishing the former Washing Baths Hall and changing rooms.
Once complete it will create an accessible route through to the restored changing rooms and the main pool hall.
Barnaby Rich, who works for Greenwich Leisure Limited, the operator of the site, told the BBC in 2023: "It's a huge project."
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He added: "It's an incredible amount of money but it doesn't go that far these days. We're looking at closer to £20m to re-build a leisure centre."
Other phases of regeneration could see improvements made to the Turkish baths, small pool hall, dispensary and dry-side areas.
That's not the only historic pool in the UK of note.
There's a stunning pool in the London borough of Redbridge that was built on the site of former psychiatric hospital.
Claybury Hospital operated between 1893 and 1997 when it closed due to a dwindling number of patients after the introduction of the NHS.
After that, the estate, called Repton Park, was converted into an estate of luxury flats, parks and of course, a health club.
Virgin Active own the gym on the red brick estate and inside, you'll find a huge pool in what used to be the on-site chapel.
Inside is a 24-metre pool as well as showers, hot tub and steam room. The old confessional box has been converted into a sauna.
Apart from the fact it's been filled with water, the church remains the same with huge archways, stained glass windows and vaulted ceiling.
And the little-known rooftop pool in the UK you can only visit twice a month – but has amazing views.
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