Work underway to reopen Cleveland Pools in Bath following 40 year closure

  • Watch Caron Bell's report


The Cleveland Pools in Bath may soon be open to visitors after being derelict for 40 years.

A £6 million redevelopment project is currently underway at the site - which is the oldest lido in the UK.

Project Director Anna Baker said: "This is a really exciting year for the pools. It's the culmination of so many years of effort.

"It's the moment everyone's been waiting for but there's still an awful lot to be done."

Project Manager Anna Baker says this is the "moment everyone's been waiting for"

The Lido was built in 1815 and it is hoped that the restored project will retains some of its Georgian design.

However it will have some modern touches - such as a children's pool, kiosk and lounging area along with heated pool water, at 28C, using an eco-friendly heat exchange pump.

The pool closed in 1984 and it wasn't until a community group came together in 2004, that restoration plans started to take shape.

The Lido was built in 1815

Work finally began in May last year but organisers say the construction hasn't been easy.

"The biggest challenge on this project is logistics", said Project Manager Mark Tregelles.

"Trying to build an outdoor swimming pool and the renovation of a listed building with no road access is quite challenging, as all of our deliveries have got to come in by boat", he added.

3,500 tiles arriving to the site via boat

Access to the Cleveland Pools is limited, with just one small gateway the only way to get in to it which has no parking around it, unless you are a resident of the area.

Organisers will be asking people to leave their cars at home and will issue timed tickets to control visitor numbers.

Project Director Anna Baker said she hopes there will still be accessible ways to come to the Pools.

She said: "We will be putting on some river access options. We will have a pontoon on the river so people can kayak, paddleboard, swim - if they want to - to get to the pools."

The project has been funded by the National Lottery, Historic England among others, but it's still £400,000 short.

A Crowdfunder has been launched to try and raise the remaining funds - it has so far raised over £57,000.

It is hoped that people could be able to swim in the restored pools by the end of the summer.