Twickenham Open Air Swimming Baths

Baths and Bath Engineering feature article July 1935

Twickenham Open-air Swimming Bath

At the invitation of the chairman of the baths committee (Councillor E. G. Ure-Whyte), the Mayor of Twickenham (Ald. T. H. Smith, J.P., F.R.I.B.A.) opened the open-air swimming bath on May 4.

Purification Plant

The bath, which measures 165 ft. by 55 ft., with a maximum depth of 10 ft., contains 305,000 gal. of water, and the turnover period is six hours. The filters are of the horizontal type, two in number, and treat the water at the rate of 212 gal. per sq. ft. per hour. They are of elliptical cross-section pattern, which effects an economy in head room and allows easy access to the manholes in the shell tops. Further manholes are provided on the sides of the shells to facilitate the removal of the medium for periodic paintings, etc.

The purification plant is the manufacture of the Pulsometer Engineering Co., Ltd., of Reading. The two circulating pumps are also of Pulsometer manufacture and design, and when running together are rat ed for 2/ 3 and 1/3 full load respectively. It is possible by this means to adjust the rate of turnover between wide limits to suit the bathing load. The efficiency of the pumps is unusually high, and their special characteristics enable them and the filters to work in complete harmony throughout the filtering cycle and under the widely varying loads that arise as the filters foul-an important feature that is too often overlooked.

The filters are arranged for washing by a reverse flow of water assisted by air agitation, the compressed air being provided by one of the firms “Hydrair ” motorless air compressors.

The plant includes a good example of the firm’s Parallel Feed coagulating gear, which embodies a neat pedestal-mounted flow meter showing the rate of injection of each reagent and a 12 in. dial type flow meter to show the rate of circulation of the water.

The sterilising apparatus is by Messrs. Wallace and Tiernan, Ltd., of London, and it provides for full chloramine treatment by chlorine and ammonia, the gases being dispensed by their BDPIM and BDPAM instruments.

Floodlighting

The following floodlighting installations, manufactured by the Benjamin Electric, Ltd., of Tottenham, London, were carried out by this company at the bath.

Overhead floodlighting was dealt with by means of seven duoflux floodlighting units, each equipped with 1,500-watt standard gas-filled lamps, mounted 24 ft. above ground. In addition, there are two further units of this type used for lighting the terrace behind the cascade.

For underwater floodlighting 22 Projectolux units are utilised, each fitted with 500-watt class ” B ” floodlight lamps. There are 11 on each long side of the bath, the fittings being recessed in the walls of the bath just below the normal water level and placed about 14ft. apart.

Cascade illumination was carried out by means of 24 cornice trough fittings, each equipped with two 60-watt standard lamps and located under the lip of the cascade basin.

Temperature Indication

The “Rototherm”, which automatically registers on the two dials (2 and a half ft. in diameter), the temperature of both the air and the water, is an interesting innovation, being the first indicator of its type to be installed in an English bath. The apparatus has been fixed by the makers, the British Rototherm Co., Ltd., of Merton Abbey, London.

The working of the ‘ Rototherm” is as follows: The actuating element is made of metal alloys very carefully rolled to exact sizes and formed as a triple helical spring, the two inner coils operating inside the outer. Owing to the varying coefficients of expansion in the alloys, rise or fall in temperature rotates the system which transmits to the indicating hand operating on the large circular dial. With this system a very high torque  is obtainable which allows the use of a large size dial and pointer, one element in a  suitable housing is immersed in the water and transmits through a 15 ft. shaft to the  water indicating hand, the other element is underneath the hood and indicates air  temperature on the upper dial. The accuracy of the system is to within plus or minus 1 per cent.

Sound Installation

The sound amplifying equipment installed at the bath was supplied by Tannoy Products (Guy R. Fountain, Ltd), of Canterbury-grove, West Norwood, London, S.E. 27, and is a 50-watt high gain housed in a stout oak case, which is easily portable.

The output of music and speech from this apparatus is sufficient in volume to comfortably cover the whole area; a control panel is fitted in the cabinet varying the volume and tone of the output, and also permitting music to be superimposed upon speech. A record changer is incorporated which permits of eight records being played without any attention.

Placed in the best positions around the bath are three loudspeakers- two being of the special projection type manufactured by Tannoy and the other a special box baffle. All contain energised moving coils of the projection type redesigned to give a good “throw.”

A somewhat unusual feature of this equipment is that it is high gain, i.e., the range at which the speaker can stand from the microphone is considerably more than that usually met with.

This equipment is a very good example of that type of apparatus suitable for a bath of this size.

General

Commodious dressing rooms have been provided; the bathers’ clothes being placed in wire baskets which are stored in racks accessible only to the attendants.

The paved bath surround varies from 15 ft. to 20 ft. in width; sea shingle has been used for the formation of the sunbathing beach, whilst at the eastern end of the site a raised tea terrace and café have been provided.

One, three and five metre diving boards have been fixed with a 10ft. depth of water, whilst two chutes have also been installed.

The works were commenced in April 1934 and have been constructed at a total cost of approximately £19,000.

Mr. G. R. King, F.S.I., the borough engineer and surveyor, and Mr. A. L. Tamkin, A.R.I.B.A., architectural assistant, were jointly responsible for the design of the bath and the necessary buildings.

The bath superintendent is Mr. C. W. Gammon.

The general contractors were Messrs. Crosby and Co., Ltd., Farnham, Surrey.

Among the principal sub-contractors were: Water purification plant, the Pulsometer Engineering Co., Ltd.; artificial stonework, aerators, etc., Ferro-Concrete (Shepperton), L td.; floodlighting equipment, Benjamin Electric, Ltd.; diving boards, chutes, etc., C. Wicksteed and Co. (1920), Ltd.

January 2022

Twickenham Swimming Bath is located almost on the embankment of the River Thames. There is a small road and pavement between. It is also adjacent to the footbridge to Eel Pie Island. It is only a few metres from the main shopping road.

The site had been left derelict for a number of years then a few attempts to make it into a useable public space had been made. It now stands as a small park with grass, paving slabs and a very small sand pit for anyone to use.