Thought to be the last remaining open swimming baths in the country, the Georgian site is in a poor state of repair. With an estimated restoration cost of £3 million, the project will see fund-seeking appeals take place across the city.
For more than 100 years, the children of Bath learned to swim at Cleveland Pools in their thousands, but they became redundant in the 1980s.
Nearly 30 years since it closed, the Cleveland Pools Trust has been created to save the historic centre. Aiming to raise an initial 10 per cent of the total cost, it needs to secure Heritage Lottery Fund backing.
It is hoped that the full restoration will be completed by 2015; marking 200 years since the pools were first opened.
Poster printing in Bath could see a former British Olympic swimming star making a splash, with Sharron Davies jumping straight in the deep end, saying:
"There is absolutely nowhere in Bath where you can do a proper swim outdoors – except for the river. Let's reopen Cleveland Pools.”
The Plans announced by the Trust will see the main pool, half-moon pool and changing rooms brought back into use, along with the supervisor's cottage. A cafe would also be constructed, whilst the pools would be heated with natural resources.
The Trust has said it is vital the city does not lose the pools, saying it is an essential part of Bath's public history, and can continue to do for generations to come.
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