And five other beautiful swimming pools to visit in the UK
ONE of the UK’s oldest listed swimming pools still in operation is set to open again next year.
Moseley Road Baths, in Birmingham, first opened back in 1907.
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The Edwardian pool, now Grade II listed, is the only baths in the country to have hosted continuous swimming events since before 1914.
However, the pool itself closed back in October 2023, ahead of a huge £15.5million renovation project.
This includes a new cafe, gym and wellbeing hub, as well as updates to the roof, boilers and entry ways, according to local media.
The new works will also prevent the building from any further decay.
Read more on swimming pools
The funding was part of the government’s Levelling Up Fund with the pools hoping to reopen again from spring 2025.
Viv Harrison, General Manager for Moseley Road Baths, said: “Moseley Road Baths has been at the heart of the Balsall Heath community for 115 years.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve been able to come together with other organisations who share a love of this beautiful Grade II listed building, to champion our local heritage and secure it for future generations.
“This levelling up funding has come out of decades of campaigning by the local community to keep the pool open for swimming, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future.”
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Many of the original features remain intact, including the only pre-war segregated washing baths, as well as the ticket office and attendants kiosk.
Guests have raved about it, with one saying it was a “fantastic place to go back in time”.
Another commented: “Amazing piece of history. Great place to still have around.”
A third called it a “gem of a place” that they hoped would say open.
Many also praised the glass roof, with sunny days making the pool water warm.
The pool was forced to close back in November 2022, due to a pool heating failure, and shortly reopened in February 2023.
In the mean time, the rest of the pool is open for free weekly events.
This includes lunch time “discoteques” on Fridays as well as weekly English lessons, knitting events and martial arts such as Capoeira and Tai Chi.
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If you can wait until the summer, we’ve rounded up the UK’s best outdoor swimming pools.
Also coming to the UK is the £250million indoor water attraction, which will have pools, swim up bars and even an indoor beach.
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