Cleveland Pools

Cleveland Pools
Location	Bath, Somerset, England
Coordinates	51°23′27″N 2°20′50″W / 51.3908°N 2.3473°W / 51.3908; -2.3473
Area	180 square metres (1,900 sq ft)
Built	1815[1]
Architect	John Pinch the elder
Architectural style(s)	Georgian
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	5 August 1975[1]
Reference no.	1396146
Location of Cleveland Pools in Somerset

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 the UK.^[2] 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 and 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 National Lottery Heritage Fund helped restore the site, which reopened in September 2022.^[2]

The original buildings which survive include a caretaker's cottage and changing rooms arranged as a Georgian Crescent. The larger P-shaped pool is 41 metres (135 ft) long, while the smaller ladies' pool is 15 metres (49 ft) long.