Rivacre Valley Country Park and nature reserve in Ellesmere Port was once the site of a massive outdoor pool which attracted visitors from all over Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.
In the early 1930s seven people drowned while swimming in the nearby canal, prompting the building of the baths on the outskirts of town, which opened on 1st August 1934.
Set in large ornamental gardens, the attractive pool was a huge hit. Flower gardens separated the spectators from the pool itself, and a large fountain was much enjoyed by children as they ran around underneath the cascading waters.
The pools were arranged in a T shape: a shallow pool, tapering to about 30 inches deep in the middle, was separated by a short wall from the main pool, which was 55 yards x 20 yards, and whose deep end was 14 feet deep below the diving platform.
There was a resident water polo team, and a swimming team which competed in galas with Ellesmere Port's twin town of Reutlingen in Germany, travelling between the two towns in alternate years. In the 1930s, an annual ‘family weekend’ would feature comedy and stunt performances in the water and off the top diving board.
Though deeply loved for many decades, the baths couldn’t compete when an indoor pool was built nearby, open year-round with heated water. They closed in 1981 and were demolished in 1985. The site is now part of the Rivacre Valley Country Park.
Thanks to: Hidden Wirral Myths & Legends, Francis Frith & Baths and Washhouses. And there are more fabulous photos in this YouTube compilation by Ellesmere Port memory lane.
