Work has now started to restore the oldest lido in Britain after a 17-year campaign to save the Grade II listed site. Bath-based Cleveland Pools, which was built in 1815, is expected to open to swimmers in the summer of 2022 for the first time since 1984. Among the work to be carried out is the restoration of two pools – the crescent-shaped main pool for adults and a smaller, shallower pool for children.

There will also be refurbishment of the largely unaltered Grade II listed buildings, with the central cottage being turned into a main entrance and pay point, and the first floor becoming a caretaker’s flat.

The scheme is expected to cost more than £8m for the period between 2019 and 2025, with Cleveland Pools Trust – the organisation behind the lido – needing to raise a further £400,000 over the next 18 months to deliver the project in full. Machinery, building materials and equipment required to carry out the major refurbishment work on-site will have to be loaded up at the nearby Avon Rugby Club, which is being used as a base, and carried up-river on a pontoon pushed by a barge fitted out for the purpose.

Plans for refurbishment of Cleveland Pools

• Restoration of two pools – the crescent shaped main pool for adults and competent swimmers and a smaller, shallower pool for children
• Restoration of the largely unaltered Grade II listed buildings. Central cottage restored for the main entrance and pay point, first floor to become a caretaker’s flat
• Terrace seating area with shelter from sun or rain
• New toilets and showers
• Refreshment kiosk
• New river pontoon for access via boat serves to Pulteney Bridge
• Improved disabled access including an electric buggy to manage the steep entry slope
• Heritage exhibition and learning space within the site