One of a number of lidos along the Brighton and Hove shoreline and probably overshadowed by the more famous Saltdean Lido. The footprint was covered following storm damage but appears to have been reinstated when the area was developed into a multisport playground in memory of local teenager Connor Saunders.
| Name | Rottingdean Bathing Pool |
| Built / opened | 29th July 1935 by the mayor, Edward Denne. |
| Cost | £8,500 |
| Dimensions | 100′ x 35′ |
| Capacity | 96,000 gallons |
| Max depth | 2′ 6″ to 6′ |
| Diving | N/A |
| Second pool | N/A |
| Designer | Mr. D. Edwards, M.lnst.C.E., F.S.I. borough engineer and surveyor |
| Address | Undercliffe Walk, Rottingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 7HQ |
| Date closed | Damaged by storms in 1990 |
| Status | Filled in 1994 then converted into multi sport playground in 2014 in memory of a local teenager. |
| Links | Go-ahead for Connor’s Court (brighton-hove.gov.uk) |
| Last updated | 9th June 2025 |
Baths and Baths Engineering, April 1935
The small bathing pool at Rottingdean, which is costing £8,500, is now practically complete and has been designed and constructed by direct labour under the direction of Mr. David Edwards, M.lnst.C.E., F.S.I. the borough engineer and surveyor of the County Borough of Brighton. The site of this pool is immediately to the east of Rottingdean sea front and lies on a portion of the foreshore reclaimed by the recent works of the sea defence and is bounded on the north by high chalk cliffs and is incidental to the main sea defence works. The pool is 100 ft. long and 35 ft. wide with depths ranging from 2 ft. 6 in. to 6 ft. and is surrounded by a 10 ft. bathers’ promenade; the remaining space bounded by the sea wall on the south and the cliffs on the north will be reserved for sun-bathing and promenade. The water level of the pool is about 14 ft. above the chalk foreshore and 5 ft. above high water. A considerable amount of chalk filling which is obtained by cliff trimming, has been necessary to level the site. The whole of the bath structure is in reinforced concrete elevated above the foreshore on a reinforced concrete substructure which forms a sedimentation tank below.
Fig. 1 is the reproduction of a photograph taken during construction, showing the manner in which the sides of the pool were cantilevered from the sedimentation tank below. The overhead ropeway shows the manner in which the concrete was delivered to the work. Fresh sea water is pumped into the bath daily from the sedimentation tank below and during use the water is circulated through a straining system and an automatic aerator. Provisional space has been allowed for filtration plant but this will not be installed unless changed circumstances demand it. The sedimentation tank is so situated that the rising tide will supply the necessary water by gravity for storage and settlement; arrangements are made for boosting the flow by pumps in the case of neap tides. The capacity of the bath is 96,000 gal. and the pumping plant is designed to supply this quantity from the sedimentation tank to the pool in 11/2 hours.
We are indebted to Mr. David Edwards for the foregoing information.
Baths and Bath Engineering February 1938
The baths committee of the county borough council recommend the installation of a filtration and sterilisation plant at the Rottingdean pool, at a cost of £560.
