The pool was opened on 10th July 1935.
There were 2 open balconies on either side of the pool with changing rooms below. One balcony was closed for years (male side) for structural reasons but the changing rooms underneath still operated. There was a wooden water fed slide at the shallow end and 5 static diving boards at the deep end.
Spalding Water Polo club played there for several years.
John Bamber and his wife started the cafe at the pool in the 1950’s.
New diving boards were built in the 1960’s, replacing those in the images on the opening ceremony programme.
| Name | Spalding Open Air Swimming Pool Pinchbeck Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 1QF |
| Built / opened | 19th July 1935 by Sir Earnest Sleight, OBE |
| Cost | |
| Dimensions | 75′ x 30′ |
| Capacity | 120,000 gallons |
| Water type | |
| Depth(s) | 2′ 6″ to 7′ |
| Diving boards | 5 static boards to max 10′. New diving boards were installed during the 1960’s replacing those on the programme image. |
| Changing facilities | Changing rooms for men and women with wooden cubicles to right and double row of lockers to left. Locker keys with a safety pin. |
| Second pool | N/A |
| Spectator seating | |
| Designer | |
| Date closed | |
| Status | Demolished |
| On site now | Grass |
| Last updated | 29th June 2025 |
GAS-HEATED OPEN-AIR SWIMMING POOL
This report relates to the water heating and purification plant of the Spalding Urban District Council Swimming Pool. The gas fired boiler was installed by the Spalding Undertaking of the East Midlands Gas Board and the water purification plant by Messrs. Bell Bros. (Manchester 1927) Lid., Calder Iron Works, Denton, Manchester. The installation was completed in the summer of 1950.
The capacity of the swimming pool is 120,000 gallons, and the purification plant is designed to filter purify and recondition the whole of this quantity of water in eight hours, which is equivalent to a rate of 15,000 gallons per hour. Before describing the gas fired boiler and its performance it is proposed to outline the purification system.
The process of water purification is a constant cycle. From the deep end of the swimming pool, the water is drawn through a grating by an electrically operated pump and to prevent solid matter passing forward to the pump a strainer is fitted which is readily accessible for inspection and cleaning.
Measured quantities of sulphate of alumina added to the water prior to passing to the filter. The alumina is added to assist the filtering medium in extracting all suspended matter. The chemical apparatus consists of a tank in which the alumina is automatically supplied and mixed. A special pump is provided for pumping the solution into the main and into the filter bed at a constant rate. The apparatus is provided with adjustable mechanism so that the quantities of solution added to the water may be altered to suit varying bathing loads. The filtering medium is a special coarse sand suitably arranged to give good filtering without excessive pressure losses.
After filtration, the water is heated by passing through the “Vesta” gas fired boiler. The water is then passed through an aerator to be oxygenised and de-odorised, and then measured quantities of either sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate are added to the water for the purpose of neutralizing the acidity caused by the alumina. Finally, the water is sterilised with chlorine gas and then returned to the swimming pool at the shallow end in a warm, crystal-clear and sterile condition. The chlorinator is made by Messrs. Wallace and Tiernan and the chlorine gas is supplied to the water at a fixed, but adjustable rate.
During the normal process of filtering the water enters at the top of the filter and flows downwards through the bed of sand to the outlet at the bottom. Periodically, the filter requires washing by means of a reverse flow of water and the additional agitation of the bed by compressed air. The circulating pump is used for providing the reverse flow of water merely by manipulation of sluice valves provided on the filter, and the compressed air is supplied by specially designed compressor of the water lubricated type fitted adjacent to the filter. The operation takes between 20 and 30 minutes, and water passing through the filter is drained to waste.
In public swimming pools it is normal to find that a fine sediment. almost in the form of a dust, collects on the floor of the pool. Provision is, therefore, made to remove this accumulation of solid matter by connecting flexible hose to two suction sweepers fitted on one side of the pool. By this means, the whole of the floor of the pool is cleaned, and the sediment is collected at the strainer on the inlet to the circulating pump.
The gas fired boiler
| Makers | Autocontrol Boilers Ltd |
| Rated output | 750,000 B.Th. U’s. per hour |
| Type of Boiler | Vesta B. 3. in 3 sections |
| Flue equipment | The waste gases are vented by means of a centrifugal type fan, having a cast iron body and aluminium alloy impellor. |
Performance
The average thermal efficiency guaranteed by the makers was 75%, but this figure was not obtained when the plant was first put into operation. Investigations made by boiler makers and the Gas Undertaking showed that the rate of water flow varied considerably from one section to another, also that the efficiency of each section was different. Therefore, the water flow to each unit was balanced and further adjustments were made to the gas and air controls.
Acknowledgements are made to Mr. Peter Lamont, M.A., A.M.I.C.E., M.L.W.E., Water Engineer and Manager to the Spalding Urban District Council for permission to issue this report, also to Messrs. Ball Bros. (Manchester 1927) Ltd., and Autocontrol Boilers Ltd. for their assistance and cooperation.
