North Bay Bathing Pool, opened in July 1938 and has had numerous iterations before its final closure.
In 1984 the site was redeveloped and rebranded as Waterscene, and a £500,000 investment gave the pool the (then) longest water chute in the world. In 1987 the site was sold to Kirkpool Ltd and the name changed to Water Splash World before being resold to Edencorpleisure in the following year. The site ws taken back by Scarborough Council in 1992 and became known as Atlantis in 1995. It’s reputation was undermined by the death of a swimmer in 2001, and following years of financial difficulties, closed in 2007. The site was later redeveloped into the Military Adventure Park.
| Name | North Bay Bathing Pool aka Northsteads Lido Peasholm Gap, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 7TN |
| Built / opened | Opened 4th July 1938 by the Mayor, Coun. W. G. Wilkinson, J.P. |
| Cost | £25,926 |
| Dimensions | 230′ x 60′ overall with separating island giving 165′ length |
| Capacity | 400,000 gallons |
| Water type | Purified sea water |
| Depth(s) | 18″ to 3′ 6″ childrens section |
| Diving boards | |
| Changing facilities | 106 dressing boxes split 50 / 50 in mens and womens changing rooms. 640 Hyg-gard-all hangers. |
| Second pool | No, separated children’s pool is within main tank |
| Spectator seating | |
| Designer | |
| Date closed | 2007 |
| Status | Demolished, filled in |
| On site now | Grassed area behind a hoarding that appears to be waiting for a building project |
| Links | Scarborough in the uk abandoned north bay bathing pool |
| Last updated | 9th July 2025 |
Feature article from Baths and Bath Engineering October 1938
The New Bathing Pool at Peasholm Gap, Scarborough
By H. V. OVERFIELD, Assoc.M.Inst,C.E., M.Inst.W.E., Borough and Water Engineer
The first of the schemes outlined in the Report on the “Further Development of Scarborough” is the new bathing pool at Peasholm Gap, in the North Bay. It is enclosed on the north side by steep cliffs which form a sheltered site, near the sea and immediately accessible to the numerous visitors who frequent the North Bay. It is the warmest place on the north side of Scarborough and receives the maximum amount of sunshine.
The Bathing Pool
The pool has been planned to fit in with the existing shelters which will be used in connection with the new pool. The bathing pool is 230 ft. long and 60ft. wide, with semi- circular ends, and it has an additional water area 100 ft. by 37 ft., where children can bathe in a depth of water gradually increasing from 18 in. to 3 ft.6 in. This shallow area is separated from the main pool by a long island. Two other islands are constructed on the main axis of the pool, 165 ft. apart. The water area is approximately 17,000 sq. ft.
The floor of the pool has been constructed with a layer of mass concrete 3 in. thick, on which 3/16 in. bitumen sheeting was laid and jointed, and on this the 6 in. reinforced concrete floor slab. The walls of the pool have been constructed in vibrated mass concrete. The floor of the pool is lined with Burmantofts 12 in. by 9 in. machine made bright white faience slabs with five racing lines in 12in. by 9in. black faience tiles, and the walls with white marble terrazzo. There is a white glazed scum channel arranged to overflow approximately one-fifth of the water.
Surrounding the pool is a promenade 10 ft. wide, reserved for bathers and this is paved with non-slip reconstructed hard York stone slabs, witha fireclay nosing tile to the edge of the pool, and a drainage tile around the outer edge of the promenade. Surrounding this promenade is a terrace for two rows of spectators’ seats, and behind this a wide promenade for spectators.
A large proportion of the non-slip stone paving slabs are cut to special radii.
Water Purification and Heating Plants
The plant is designed to circulate and purify the contents of the bathing pool and pre-cleansing pool, 440,000 gal., in six hours, at the rate of 73,300 gal. per hour. The bathing pool is filled with sea water which is taken by a new intake pipe-line across the North Beach from low-water mark, ordinary spring tides, to a pumping chamber 18 ft. deep. and is pumped to a settling tank of 20,000 gal. capacity adjacent to the filter room. The water is withdrawn from this tank through a floating arm by means of the circulating water pump and discharged through the filtration plant into the pool. Make-up water for the pool is also obtained from the settling tank. The water is withdrawn from the pool through outlet gratings in the bottom, while a certain percentage is withdrawn over the scum trough which runs along the wall adjacent to the deepest portion of the pool. The scum trough around the remaining walls of the pool is also connected into the main suction pipe, and a connection is made to the pre-cleansing pool to enable this water to be circulated. The main suction piping is fitted with a strainer box having a basket pattern strainer and provided with a quick-release cover. The water is circulated through the purification plant by an electrically driven centrifugal pump. On leaving the pump the water is treated with sulphate of alumina, and, if necessary, soda, administered by the Paterson Venturi controlled reagent proportioning apparatus. Direct reading reagent flow indicators are provided, while a dial type recorder is installed to record the quantity of water circulated. The treated water is delivered to two 8 ft. diameter by 22 ft. long horizontal pressure filters, operating at a filtration speed of 219 gal. per sq. ft. per hour. The filtered water is collected by the Paterson patent manifold under-drain system and is then discharged from each filter into a common delivery main. The filtering media is periodically cleansed of the intercepted impurities by preliminary agitation with air, followed by a reverse flow of clean water.
The water is sterilised during circulation by the Paterson Van-der-Made ozone system. Dry air is passed through an annular space formed by stainless steel electrodes inserted in glass tubes, between which there is a fame discharge induced by a 4.000 volt 500 cycle single-phase frequency changer working off the 400 volt public supply. Part of the oxygen in the dry air is converted to are provided, while a dial type recorder is installed to record the quantity of water circulated. The treated water is delivered to two 8 ft. diameter by 22 ft. long horizontal pressure filters, operating at a filtration speed of 219 gal. per sq. ft. per hour. The filtered water is collected by the Paterson patent manifold under-drain system and is then discharged from each filter into a common delivery main. The filtering media is periodically cleansed of the intercepted impurities by preliminary agitation with air, followed by a reverse flow of clean water.
The water is sterilised during circulation by the Paterson Nan-der-Made ozone system. Dry air is passed through an annular space formed by stainless steel electrodes inserted in glass tubes, between which there is a fame discharge induced by a 4.000 volt 500 cycle single-phase frequency changer working off the 400 volt public supply. Part of the oxygen in the dry air is converted to ozone which is thoroughly mixed with the water in a concrete tower 16 ft. high and 8 ft. square. Before the air is passed through the ozonisers, it is first dried by passing it through a silica gel desiccator. The silica gel remains active for about 12 hours operation of the ozonisers, after which it is necessary to regenerate the silica by means of an electrical heater which is incorporated in the apparatus. The regeneration is carried on at night after the pool has been closed to bathers. About six hours regeneration is necessary, after which the electrical heater cuts out automatically with a thermostat.
During circulation the pool water is heated by passing it through two C Vesta boilers, of a total capacity of 2,400.000 B.th.u. per hour, which are thermostatically controlled to maintain the temperature of the water in the pool at 69 deg. to 70 deg. Fahr. Normally, one boiler only is adequate to maintain the temperature.
The floor of the bath is kept free of the accumulation of any solid matter introduced by bathers by a Paterson suction sweeper operated by means of the main circulating water pump. The sweeper nozzle is constructed of gunmetal and is fitted with an adjustable brush and the necessary rubber-tyred wheels. The nozzle is also provided with the necessary connections to enable it to be moved over the bottom of the bath by ropes or rods, the latter being arranged in sections. Five suction sweeper connections are provided in one side wall of the pool, and they are coupled into the main suction piping by a suitable pipe. The nozzle is connected to either suction point by special flexible hose provided with floats.
All the water flowing over the scum channels and also the overflow water from the pre-cleanser pool gravitates to a concrete tank below the bather’s promenade. This tank is fitted with a float valve connection to the main suction pipe, and, when the tank is full, the valve opens automatically and the water in the tank is withdrawn down to a fixed level at which the valve automatically shuts. The tank is necessary to avoid air being drawn into the suction main.
The pumping plant consists of one horizontal split casing centrifugal pump. conditions of service 1,230 gal. per min. 53 ft. total head, 1,440 revs. per min., driven by 32 b.h.p. motor; and one vertical ball-bearing Freflo centrifugal pump, conditions of service 8,000 gal. per hour sea water, 70 ft. total head, 1,420 revs. Per min., driven by 10 b.h.p. motor.
Dressing Accommodation
Dressing rooms have been built behind the long shelter at the foot of the cliff. A considerable amount of excavation was carried out to form the site for these rooms, which involved the construction of a heavy retaining wall, 193 ft. long and from 9 ft. to 18 ft. in height. This was built in mass concrete. The cliff is of boulder clay, and care has to be taken to retain such material and tokeep it dry. The dressing rooms are approached through the arches of the existing long shelter, men at one end and women at the other. They are equipped with 53 dressing boxes each, and cloakroom accommodation for storing bathers’ clothes on the Hyg-gard-all hanger system, there being 640 hangers installed. At each end of the long shelter, winding staircases lead up to the flat roof of the dressing rooms, which is used for sunbathing. Through ventilation has been provided in the dressing rooms, and in addition there are 14 glass dome lights, each 4 ft. in diameter, which also act as ventilators.
General
The existing long shelter at the north side of the pool, and the terrace in front of it, is used for the service of light refreshments from a buffet or cafeteria constructed in the existing building. Bathers descend to the pool by easy tiled ramps in front of the main terrace, and at the foot of the ramps they must pass through a pre-cleanser pool before entering the bathers’ promenade and the bathing pool. The wall above the pre-cleanser and the ramps is decorated by a design in coloured tile work, with a satyr’s head in bas relief from which issues a jet of water which falls into the pre-cleanser pool. The bathing pool is equipped with 42 under water flood lamps of 500 watts each, and the surrounding areas are illuminated by concealed lighting. It is not proposed to use lamp standards near the pool, in order to preserve a spacious appearance.
The under-water floodlight projectors are housed in access manholes built in the bathers’ sidewalks and in the islands. The light is projected through circular armour-plate glass mounted in watertight gun metal frames secured inside the manholes by suitable bolts. The glass frames are mounted at uniform distance below water level, irrespective of depth of water. The projectors stand on a movable concrete block and experiment has shown that the position nearest the glass fronts gives the best results. Flexible rubber cables permit this movement and easy removal of the units for servicing. The supply cables are led through pipes through the rear wall of the manholes to a junction box and a further pipe at the bottom of the rear wall provides drainage. The frames were fixed with the glass intact, the rear face of the frames being painted with bitumen before bolting up and the joint between concrete and frame afterwards pointed up with bitumen from inside the manhole.
During the first season, no servicing has been required except to bale out a little water occasionally. This water has not come through the front frames but appears to have dripped through the manhole covers and to have come back through the drain tubes at the back of the manhole. An indicating and recording venturi meter connected to a 10 in. short pattern venturi tube. This water has not come through the front frames but appears to have dripped through the manhole covers and to have come back through the drain tubes at the back of the manhole.
An indicating and recording venturi meter connected to a 10 in. short pattern venturi tube designed for a flow of 80,000 gal. of water per hour. The meter is specially fitted with oil chambers in order to exclude sea water from it.
The work has been let in two contracts. As follows:-(1) Construction of pool, dressing boxes, buildings, fences, paving, £20,347 11s. 4d.; (2) filters, pumps and ozone and heating plant, £4,979; plans, supervision, etc., £599 8s. 8d.u total loan sanction, £25,926.
The official opening was performed by the Mayor, Coun. W. G. Wilkinson, J.P., on July 4 last.
Contractors.
Messrs. F. Whitaker and Co., Ltd., of Leeds, were the general contractors for the construction of pool, dressing boxes, buildings, fences and paving, and The Paterson Engineering Co., Ltd., London, for the filters, pumps, ozone and heating plant.
Amongst the sub-contractors for the equipment supplied were: -Stucco-Adamite Co., Ltd., Birmingham; gas boilers-Auto Control Boilers, Ltd., London; motors-Crompton Parkinson, Ltd., Guiseley; sanitary fittings-Doulton and Co., Ltd. London: tiling to bathers’ promenade and islands and channels for carrying awaywater from them-J. C. Edwards (Ruabon), Ltd.; underwater floodlighting equipment-Hailwood and Ackroyd, Ltd., Morley, Nr. Leeds; indicating and recording venturi meter-George Kent, Ltd. Luton; terrazzo-Kingston Cast Stone Co., Brandesburton, Driffield, Yorks; tiling to bathing pool floor -The Leeds Fireclay Co., Ltd., Wortley, Leeds; nonslip reconstructed hard Yorkstone slabs to bathing pool promenade-Nonslip Stone Co., Halifax : electrical wiring and lighting -Scarborough Electricity Department: Hyg-Gard – all ” clothes hangers – James Sieber, London : pumps – Worthington-Simpson. Ltd., Newark-on-Trent.
Personnel.
The Baths Committee of the Borough of Scarborough consists of the following members: Coun. B. W. Gibson. chairman; Coun. H. Storry, deputy chairman: the Mayor, Coun. W. G. Wilkinson, J.P.: the Deputy Mayor. Ald. J W. Butler, J.P.; Ald. J, Bielby; and councillors R. A. Wood. F. W. Webster, N. Walsh. J, T. Cowton and E. C. Tasker.
Mr. S. Jones is the Town Clerk
