This large pool was constructed by Sidney Little for the 1933 Empire Games. At the centre of the pool was an impressive array of diving boards up to 10 metres high, constructed from blocks of concrete.
During WWII, it was used as a storage area for gas masks and other decontamination supplies. After the war, it returned to its original usage as a bathing pool and entertainments venue under the name of Parkin’s Bathing Pool, admittance being 1 shilling for adults and six pence for children.
The pool proved not to be financially viable in the long term, and it closed in 1959.The following year, 1960 it passed into the hands of Alderman Sid Withers, who converted it into a down-market holiday camp. It finally closed in 1986 and was demolished in May 1993, some 60 years after it first opened.
Recently, there were moves to develop the land for housing.
| Name | St Leonards Bathing Pool |
| Built / opened | 27th May 1933 by Sir Humphry Rolleston G.C.V.O |
| Cost | £60,000 |
| Dimensions | 330′ x 90′ |
| Capacity | 1,000,000 gallons |
| Water type | Sea water |
| Depth(s) | 2′ to 15′ under diving platform |
| Diving | |
| Changing facilities | |
| Second pool | N/A |
| Spectator seating | For 2,500 |
| Designer | S Little |
| Date closed | 1959 as public pool, thereafter used as holiday camp. |
| Status | Demolished May 1993 |
| On site now | Grass |
| Last updated | 11th July 2025 |
