The 1912 Amateur Swimming Association directory for swimmers in England listing: Indoor swimming baths, lidos, swimming lakes, swimming rivers, and seaside swimming facilities...
WILTSHIRE
BRADFORD-ON-AVON.
Bath. The small size of the swimming pool can be seen from this photograph of a Fitzmaurice Grammar School swimming competition in about 1965. The width only allowed for four lanes and there was no walkway around one of the long sides. Despite the “no diving” sign on the balcony, it did happen. The water only changed infrequently and dropping charges reflected the increasingly dirty water.
CALNE.
Bath. Open-air. Lido.
CHIPPENHAM.
River Avon. Historic wild swimming venue.
Well maintained swimming facilities were built on a backwater of the river Avon by Chippenham swimming club founded in 1877. 'The Baths'; tiled with diving boards and water polo facilities were used up until river swimming was stopped by the council in 1948 due to concerns over water quality. You can still see the ironwork of the diving stage at Long Close on the site used today by the Sea Cadets.
Swimmers were moved out of the river and confined to the Devizes outdoor swimming pool. Then in 1960 a riverside outdoor pool was built in Chippenham but this has now gone, as has the river which has been moved and changed beyond recognition.
DEVIZES.
Public Bath, Canal. Historic wild swimming venue. Devizes Swimming Club was formed in June 1896, meeting at the “Bathing Place” which was actually in the Kennet and Avon canal behind The Black Horse on Bath Road (near lock 24). The boundary of the pool was made of corrugated iron sheets above the water with wire netting below, allowing free flow of water and an interesting collection of native canal-life such as leeches etc..
MARLBOROUGH.
River, Pewsey Road. Historic wild swimming venue.
MELKSHAM.
River. Historic wild swimming venue.
SALISBURY.
Bath.
Salisbury Swimming club was formed in 1889, and from this time up until the early 1930’s swimming took place in the river close to the Bishops Mill and at Harnham. It then moved to the Victorian baths in Rollestone Street which have now been demolished.
SWINDON.
Public Bath, Farringdon Road.
TROWBRIDGE.
River, Blackball.
WESTBURY.
Public Bath, Church Street.
Originally it consisted of a bathing pool and ten individual baths with water supplied by Bitham spring. Mr Laverton broke the mould of workhouse masters and Victorian working conditions supplying his employees a place to socialise, wash and have fun.
WARMINSTER.
River, Smallbrook. Historic wild swimming venue.
Workingham
Martins Swimming Pools Wokingham Wiltshire
