2023 b, the 1896 swimming pool
It was no surprise, to this author at least, that remnants of the original 1896 swimming pool were found during the 2022/3 excavations; I had long realised that the 1935 construction was likely to have left part of the original pool untouched due to it being built higher in the ground due to water pressure problems. The Swimming Pool
My thanks to all at WDC and the onsite Archaeologists for the photographs.
The original pool, looking north; the date is unknown, it was taken during a gala, but these were annual events. (photograph from online, current owners unknown)
This is the wall visible on the left of the top photograph; the edging around the pool clearly visible. The material above the wall dates from the 1935 construction, the earlier bank would have been a few feet further back. The floor of the pool can be seen, it appears to be a layer of gravel with bitumen on top, and something maybe a little more substantial above that, suggesting the floor was improved during its existence.
To the left of the above photograph, concrete and brickwork from later versions of the pool can be seen.
More of the wall towards the deep end; the 1985 indoor pool beyond.
This authors estimation as to how the pools sat in the ground relative to each other: blue is the original 1896; red the 1935 ‘lido’, and green the 1985 outdoor pool. (For clarity, in all cases it is assumed that the slope of the floors was constant, in all probability this is unlikely to be the case).
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