Our Heritage
Chester City Baths and a Brief History of Swimming in Chester
If your family is from the Chester area, there’s a good chance your grandparents – and even their grandparents – learned to swim at the Baths! For more than 120 years, the Baths have been a cherished part of our community, welcoming Olympic swimmers, champion swimming and water polo teams, and tens of thousands of learners of all ages.
Here’s a look back at some of the key milestones in our incredible history…
1849
Chester’s First Baths Opens
The first establishment that offered swimming in the city – Chester Public Baths and Wash-House – opened in 1849, using water drawn from the canal. The newly founded Subscription Baths Committee had secured from the city council a grant of £1,260 and the lease of a plot of land south-west of the Water Tower, where it opened a public baths and wash-house. Access was through a new opening in the city wall.
The day was beautifully fine, and before the doors were closed, about five hundred and forty persons had bathed in the swimming, or availed themselves of the advantage of the shower bath.
Chester Chronicle – June 22, 1849
1870
The Floating Baths Era
Chester’s next public swimming-pool was a floating construction, moored on the River Dee. It was filled with cold water straight from the river and often silted up with mud.
Alarmingly, in 1899, the floating baths floated off!
As a result of the heavy rain experienced this month the Dee rose to an unprecedented height on Sunday. The waters continued to rise in the evening, and about eight o’clock the iron chains mooring the City Floating Baths to the bank yielded to the extraordinary pressure. The chains snapped like pieces of string, and the unwieldy structure swinging round, drifted broadside on to the weir, where it fortunately stuck.
Cheshire Observer – January 28, 1899
1901
Chester City Baths Opens
In September 1901, to great celebration, a new, much-needed facility – Chester City Baths – officially opens.
CHESTER’S NEW BATHS OPENED. Yesterday, the Mayor of Chester opened the new public baths…Hitherto, the only baths in Chester have been a floating structure on the Dee, and better provision has long been strenuously advocated by the citizens. The new baths are up to date, and rank amongst the finest in the country.
Manchester Courier – September 26, 1901
1904
Training the younger generation
From the very beginning, the baths and the Chester Swimming club were training the people of Chester from adults to the very young. Quite how they worked out that Willie Moody was England’s youngest swimmer we can’t be sure but he was the son of Alfred Moody, the bath’s manager from 1904-31. The Moodys were a bit of a swimming dynasty in Chester with various members of the family featuring in winning club photos right through to the 1950’s.
1908
Wilf goes to the Olympics
Chester Swimming Club star and City Baths user, Wilf Edwards, is selected to compete in the 100 metres race at the 1908 London Olympics. The world class swimmer, who had participated in Chester City Baths’ opening gala, qualified for the Olympics when he was just 18. He would later serve in the Veterinary Corps in France during the First World War.
1975
Baths Comes Under Threat
When the Northgate Arena Leisure Pool was opened, permanent closure was potentially on the horizon for Chester City Baths.
OLD CITY BATHS FACE A FUTURE IN “MOTHBALLS”.
The opening of the Northgate Centre will mark the closure of the existing City Baths, which will then be placed in “Mothballs” until such time as the demand for swimming facilities, coupled with the financial situation, can be more accurately assessed.
Cheshire Observer – November 14, 1975
1977
Official Re-opening
Thanks to the support of Chester Swimming Association who wanted to secure the future of competitive swimming and water polo in the city, Chester City Baths is saved and reopened – with Olympic swimmer David Wilkie attending as guest of honour.
Olympic swimmer David Wilkie receives the keys of the baths from the Mayor. The swimming star was the guest of honour at the official re-opening of Chester’s City Baths. Once deemed to die with the opening of the Northgate Arm, they have been taken over by Chester’s swimming clubs.
Liverpool Echo – April 15, 1977
2015
Time for a makeover
By 2015, the pool-halls, pumps and heaters were in great need of maintenance and replacement. Cheshire West and Chester Council made a fantastic contribution to this work over a two-year period during which both pools had to be closed.
2016
And a Fresh Start
After much work by contractors, council employees, staff, committee and supporters, both pools were officially re-opened by the Duke of Westminster on January 26, 2016.
2020
Looking forward
In 2020, Chester City Baths reopened its doors once again, having been shut down during the COVID 19 pandemic.
This heralded in a new era for the Baths, which has evolved to be a charity-run community hub, at the heart of Chester. Nowadays, the Baths offers a unique swimming experience steeped in history and designed to support wellness
Staying afloat takes a little help
Chester City Baths is a charity run by volunteers with paid lifeguards and a pool manager. Sadly ticket sales alone don’t cover the costs of running our pool and maintaining the beautiful Victorian building it sits in. Be part of something special and help us preserve this special place by donating today.