List of long course swimming pools in the United Kingdom

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This is an annotated list of swimming pools in the United Kingdom which conform to the Olympic standard. Additionally, it lists other long-course facilities that do not quite come up to the full standard of 50 × 25 metres, 10 (middle 8 used) lanes.

At the start of the 21st century, the provision of 50-metre swimming pools in the United Kingdom was very poor for a developed country. Few universities possessed 50-metre pools, and there was a marked reluctance on the part of municipal authorities to build new public long-course facilities. As of 2011, however, a substantial number of pools have either recently opened, or are under development. The successful bid to hold the 2012 Summer Olympics in London has undoubtedly added impetus to the latter, with a number of new venues due for completion before the Games, although some existing pools are under threat and may not be replaced by 50-metre facilities.

As of 2014, no University in the UK possesses an Olympic standard pool, though several have an 8-lane 50-metre pool. The Aberdeen Aquatics Centre, being part funded by the University of Aberdeen, is the main pool facility for the University.

Olympic size pools

Location Pool/centre name Pool dimensions Further information
Length Width (lanes)
Aberdeen Aberdeen Aquatics Centre 50 m 25 m (10) Opened 5 May 2014 as part of the Aberdeen Sports Village complex.[1]
Bangor, County Down Bangor Aurora Aquatic and Leisure Complex 50 m 25 m (10) 25m x 25m diving pool adjacent to main pool.
Bristol Hengrove Park Leisure Centre 50 m 25 m (10)[2] Opened 29 February 2012.[3]
Cardiff Cardiff International Pool[4] 50 m 25 m (10) Part of the Cardiff International Sports Village. Opened 12 January 2008.[5]
Glasgow Tollcross International Swimming Centre[4] 50 m 25 m (10) The pool was reopened in 24 May 2013 after refurbishment. Second 50 m pool was added for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Leeds John Charles Centre for Sport 50 m 25 m (10) Formerly South Leeds Stadium.
London London Aquatics Centre 50 m 25 m (10) Venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Includes 25 x 25 m diving pool adjacent to main competition pool.
50 m 20 m (8)
Plymouth Plymouth Life Centre[6] 50 m 25 m (10) Part of the new £46.5m Life Centre. Opened in March 2012.[7]
Sheffield Ponds Forge International Sports Centre[8] 50 m 25 m (10) Used for a large number of English and British National events
Sunderland Sunderland Aquatic Centre[9] 50 m 25 m (10) Opened 18 April 2008.[10]

Planned or under construction

Location Pool/centre name Pool dimensions Further information
Length Width (lanes)
Cambridge Cambridge Sports Centre 50 m 25 m (10) Planned for Phase 3 of the new sports centre (currently at Phase 1) for the University of Cambridge on the West Cambridge Site.[11]

Other 50 metre pools

Location Pool/centre name Pool dimensions Further information
Length Width (lanes)
Aldershot Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre 50 m 18 m (8) This is a British Army swimming pool, but it is open to the public at certain times.[12]
Banbury Woodgreen Leisure Centre Woodgreen Leisure Centre[13] 50 m (8) Heated open air pool.
Basildon Basildon Sporting Village 50 m (8)[14] Constructed by Basildon District Council in time to support the 2012 London Olympics.[15]
Bath University of Bath Sports Training Village[16] 50 m (8)
Cheltenham Sandford Parks Lido 50 m 27 m (10) Heated open air pool, open seasonally between May and September.[17]
Corby, Northamptonshire Corby East Midlands International Swimming Pool[18] 50 m (8) Opened July 2009.
Coventry Coventry Sports And Leisure Centre[19] 50 m (8) Likely to be closed by June 2019 and replaced by a 25m pool.[20]
Crawley K2 Crawley[21] 50 m (8)
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace National Sports Centre[22] 50 m (8)
Dundee Olympia[23] 50 m (6)
Ealing Gurnell Leisure Centre[24] 50 m (8) Potential redevelopment of Gurnell Leisure Centre to include a new 10 lane 50m pool opening in 2018
East Kilbride The Dollan Aqua Centre 50 m (6) Recently refurbished, reopened May 28, 2011.[25]
Edinburgh Royal Commonwealth Pool 50 m 21 m (8) Built for the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. Site to be refurbished, with 50 m pool retained.[26]
Guildford Guildford Lido 50 m 27.4 m (10) An outdoor pool that is open during the summer months only.[27]
Guildford Surrey Sports Park 50 m 20 m (8) Part of the University of Surrey.[28]
High Wycombe Wycombe Sports Centre[29] 50 m (6)
Hillingdon Hillingdon Sports & Leisure Centre[30] 50 m 20 m (8) The new indoor pool adjacent to a refurbished Uxbridge Lido, opened on 23 March 2010.[31]
Hitchin Hitchin Swimming Centre[32] 50 m Hitchin Swimming Centre sports indoor and outdoor pools. Outdoor pool opens between May–September
Letchworth Letchworth Outdoor Pool[33] 50 m Open between May–September
Liverpool Liverpool Aquatics Centre[34] 50 m (8)
London Charlton Lido[35] 50 m (4) Lido, Re-opened in 2013; closed from Nov 2013 until April 2014 for refurbishment.
London London Fields Lido[36] 50 m 17 m (8) Lido, opened in 1932, closed in 1988, and re-opened in 2006.
Loughborough English Institute of Sport 50 m 20 m (8) Based at Loughborough University.[37]
Luton Inspire: Luton Sports Village 50 m (8) A 50m, eight lane pool, a diving training centre and a 20m x 10m community pool.[38]
Manchester Manchester Aquatics Centre 50 m 20 m (8) Built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
50 m 8 m (4)
Norwich Sportspark[39] 50 m 17 m (8) Part of the University of East Anglia.
Nottingham Speedo Sports Centre at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village 50 m 21 m (8) Completed in Summer 2015.
Portsmouth Mountbatten Centre[40] 50 m 17 m (8) Run by Parkwood Leisure.
Stirling National Swimming Academy 50 m (6) Part of the University of Stirling.[41]
Stockport Grand Central Pools 50 m (8)
Street, Somerset Millfield School 50 m (8) School's private pool, only open to staff and students.
Stonehaven Open Air Pool Aberdeenshire Council 50 m (8) Council run public pool, only open June to September.
Swansea Wales National Pool[42] 50 m 21 m (8) Part of the Swansea University.

Planned or under construction/refurbishment

Location Pool/centre name Pool dimensions Further information
Length Width (lanes)
Acton 50 m Ealing Council has built a 25m pool in Acton now and is considering a 33million GBP rebuild at gurnell. [43]
Birmingham University of Birmingham Sports Centre 50 m 17 m As part of new University Sports Centre.[44]
Redbridge, London 50 m Architects appointed for new 50 m pool.[45]
High Wycombe Wycombe Leisure Centre 50 m 8 lanes Part of the Handy Cross Hub Development[46]

Other notable long-course pools

Open

Closed

  • Derby Baths, Blackpool - 50 metres x 21 metres (8 lanes), with diving area and 1,800-seater viewing stadium. Opened in 1939 and closed in 1991.[49]
  • Broomhill Pool, Ipswich – 55 by 20 yards (50.3 m × 18.3 m) open air pool, plus 5-yard (4.6 m) diving pit. Subject of campaign to reopen.[50]
  • Earls Court 1, Earls Court Exhibition Centre. 60m x 30m pool, up to 4m deep. Opened 1937. A 750 tonne retractable floor in three sections covers the pool when not in use and is lowered using water hydraulic rams. Still serviceable (Aug 2013) but facing demolition along with the rest of the Exhibition site. Last filled with water (2,250,000 gals) as a feature for The Ideal Home Show 2011. Technical Manager Ray Simpson, who had maintained the pool since 1969, retired in July 2013. Earls Court has hosted both the 1948 and the 2012 Summer Olympics, but swimming was not held there on either occasion. The pool was most closely associated with the Earls Court Boat Show which was held annually from 1960 until 2003
  • Empire Pool, Wembley (now Wembley Arena). Venue for the 1948 Summer Olympics.
  • Leeds International Pool, Leeds – 50 metres, 8 lanes. Closed 21 October 2007; now demolished.
  • Murton Colliery Pool, Murton, County Durham – 50 metre open air pool, built in 1961, and closed in 1991 following the closure of the colliery; filled in.[51][52]
  • Wales Empire Pool at Cardiff. Venue for the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games; demolished in 1998 during construction of the Millennium Stadium.[53] Replaced by the Cardiff International Pool.
  • White City Stadium swimming pool. Venue for the 1908 Summer Olympics; site demolished in 1985.
  • Wigan International Pool, Wigan – 50 metres, 8 lanes.[54] Closed 21 September 2008, and subsequently demolished. Replaced by a 25 × 21 m pool at the Wigan Life Centre.[55]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://aberdeen.stv.tv/106358/
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found., published 1 May 2012, accessed 5 November 2014
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Yearsley Swimming Pool
  48. ↑ History of Yearsley Pool
  49. ↑ Lost Lidos
  50. ↑ Broomhill Pool Trust
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Wigan International Pool (archived wepage)
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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