The earliest surviving description of the original building, contained within the second edition of Dr Jameson’s Treatise on Cheltenham Waters (1809), stated that four of the six baths were large enough to swim in but – to modern eyes at least – this is somewhat misleading. The largest bath was 18 ft 10 in long x 8 ft 9 in wide but over 3 ft of that length was taken up by steps. The other three baths were 12 ft x 9 ft (again, partly reduced by steps), 9 ft x 7 ft (ditto), and 7 ft 11 x 4 ft 6 in at its widest point. None of the baths had a deep or shallow end; once you were clear of the steps they had a uniform depth of 4 ft 6 inches.
By 1818 only the two largest of these baths were considered large enough to swim in but in 1834 there was a cold bath measuring 20 ft x 10 ft x 4 ft 6 in deep which although not advertised as a swimming bath was at least of a size where seven or eight breast strokes was actually possible!
It is not until 1847 that a swimming bath of the dimensions we would expect for swimming was built. In April of that year owner Pearson Thompson obtained a third mortgage from the Globe Insurance Company for £7,000. He had previously taken out mortgages with them of £25,000 and £5,000 to enable him to finance many of his construction projects and these were secured against his land and properties in Montpellier and, of course, the Baths. It is assumed that part of the £7,000 was used for improvements to the Baths as a notice in the Cheltenham Looker-On of 26 June 1847 makes it clear that some major changes had taken place during a period of closure:
The Pub1ic are respectfully informed that the
MEDICATED, WARM, AND FRESH WATER BATHS,
of this Establishment, having recently undergone extensive Repairs and Improvement, ARE NOW
AGAIN IN FULL OPERATION; and that the
NEW TEPID SWIMMING AND COLD PLUNGING BATHS,
which have lately been added,
WILL BE OPENED ON THURSDAY, JULY 1.
The Looker-On proceeded to proclaim that the Baths have ‘long ranked among the first establishments of their kind in the kingdom’ and that the new swimming bath was ‘admirably fit for the purposes for which it has been designed, being 75 feet in length by 25 feet wide, and from four to six feet deep’ (thereby creating shallow and deep ends). There was a continual supply of fresh water running into the bath at a speed of 30 gallons per minute and steam was used to ensure the water remained lukewarm or tepid. The plunge bath, sited immediately adjoining the swimming bath, was 11 ft x 8 ft and for those who ‘preferred the water at its natural temperature’.
The floorplan shown here was approved in 1862 but shows the swimming and plunge baths that were added in 1847. Note what appears to be a diving platform at the top signifying the deep end.
Sadly there is no floor plan showing the layout of the building in the 1830s but we know that in 1834 there were 25 wash baths plus dressing rooms on the site and that by the mid-1855s there were just 12 wash baths. The assumption must be made that half the wash baths were removed in 1847 to make way for the swimming bath.
TO READ ABOUT SWIMMING FROM 1856-1900 CLICK HERE