A bathing station has been on or around this site since the 1880’s. In April 1907 Saltcoats Town Council agreed to build a tidal bathing pool in Winton Circus. It opened in 1908 with changing facilities and seating for spectators. The Council employed a bathing pool attendant at a weekly wage of £1 who was allowed to supplement their income by charging for swimming lessons.
A refreshment stall provided tea, coffee, etc., along with towels and the hire of bathing outfits. By 1910 stone steps into the water had been provided together with a float in the centre of the pool. It also had a fixed diving stage and springboard plus a water chute. A lifeguard was stationed in the middle of the pool onboard a boat. Over time the original building was added to, and the pond was deepened.
On 10th June 1933, a new bathing and yacht pond was opened on the site. It claimed to be the largest tidal pool of the time in Scotland. It was equipped with modern changing rooms, showers, a tea room, seating, a roof balcony and flood lights for midnight bathing. Admission to the event was 7d. reserved seats 2/4d and unreserved seats 1/2d. The attendees were entertained with a swimming gala.
On one day in July 1933 over 4,500 people were admitted to the pond, a record. On Saturday 2nd September 1933, the inaugural floodlighting ceremony at the bathing pool was witnessed by over 10,000 people. The event included diving and swimming displays and a water polo match. Afterwards hundreds of bathers enjoyed having a late-night swim in the floodlit pool.
On Monday 26th August 1957 the Saltcoats Tidal Bathing Pool was the site of a mass baptism when 47 people were baptised by Mr John M. Moore, Superintendent of the Tent Hall, Glasgow. Around a thousand people attended the event.
Throughout the next 50 years crowds flocked to the pond in Saltcoats, especially during the Glasgow Fair holiday. The bathing station closed at the end of the 1972 season. It was let to a seafood company that ran their business there for three years.
The buildings were demolished in 1983 and then the pool itself was demolished between 1987 and 1988.
A smaller pool was built with a lookout tower at the far end.
In 2021, a local community group “Splash” led plans to resurrect the pool alongside Chris Romer-Lee of Studio Octopi. Initial designs were put forward on 2023.
| Name | Saltcoats Tidal Bathing Pool Winton Circus, Saltcoats, Ayrshire, KA21 5DA, Scotland |
| Built / opened | 10th June 1933 chaired by Baillie Andrew Kennedy with The Lord Provost of Glasgow’s wife cutting the ribbon. |
| Cost | £5,700 in 1933 |
| Dimensions | 275′ x 160′ (approx. – scaled off map) |
| Depth(s) | |
| Status | In use |
| Last updated | 12th April 2025 |
