La Vallette Bathing Pools

The first pool of the four at La Vallette was the Horseshoe, built in 1844, to compensate locals for reduced swimming facilities when the harbour at St Peter Port was expanded. The ladies and gents pools were built in the 1870’s, with the children’s pools added 20 years later. Surrounded by walls, the pools fill at high tide. The site is owned by the State of Guernsey.

The Horseshoe allows access to swim in the bay. Whilst the names remain, all four pools are open for anyone to swim.

A building to provide changing facilities was built in the 1930’s and it included a kiosk.

In the early days, the pools were visited by “Les Misérables” writer Victor Hugo and famous Renaissance painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Diving stages were built in the Ladies Pool in 1925 but were gradually removed during the 1970s and 1980’s and only one low board remains.

In 1977 a proposal recommended the gents and horseshoe pools be abandoned due to the cost of maintenance – but it was voted down.

In 2011 the cliff above La Vallette had to be stabilised twice to minimise the risk of rock falls.

The pools were extensively damaged during storms in 2014 with the Mens and Horseshoe pools having to close.

A charity was established in 2019 “Vive La Vallette” to regenerate the facilities and manage the pool on a non-profit basis. The government ran a competition for ideas to regenerate six sites around the island and various proposals were put forward for the pools. A team of locals, together with local architectural practice, DLM, proposed a retrofit of the existing building. Part of the plan was to include a sheltered area that allowed swimmers to change out of hours with some degree of comfort.

Other facilities are new changing rooms, hot showers, panoramic sun terrace and an event space. The total cost of the rejuvenation was £1.5m and the project was completed in 2022.

More recently, the remaining diving boards have been deemed unsafe by the Health and Safety Executive. Condemned to demolition, local protests granted extra time for consideration of possible alternative action.

In May of 2025, work was carried out to increase the depth in the Ladies Pool to make diving safer.