Open Air Baths, St Anne’s on the Sea

Alternatively known as The Roman Baths, the swimming pool closed down in the mid-1980s. It was often used as a venue for bathing beauty competitions in the 1950s.

The bath is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide, and the section for expert swimmers reaches a depth of seven feet. It is not at one end in the orthodox way, but is carried the whole length of the bath for a width of 36 feet. The middle section is graded from four to two feet, and the section at the opposite side to the deep water is for the children to paddle in safety. The dressing rooms are in pretty buildings along two sides of the bath. In the remainder of the enclosure and on the roofs of the buildings seating accommodation for about 2,000 persons is provided. Grass spaces have been left for family tents in the busy season. In the dressing rooms are shower baths and geysers for the supply of bowls of hot water to bathers who are chilled after a swim. The capacity of the bath is 820,000 gallons, and the water is pumped at high tide into a large tank, where it is thoroughly filtered before entering the bath. [Manchester Guardian 7 June 1916 page 10]

In October, 1913, the council decided to advertise for designs in open competition for laying out the foreshore, including open-air sea water baths. The first premium was awarded to Mr Fred Harrison, MSA., architect, St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea, and Accrington, who has designed the baths and supervised their construction, and to whom the author is indebted for many of the following particulars. The bath is 240 feet long, 120 feet wide, and holds 819,000 gallons, weighing 3,750 tons. For a width of 36 feet the bath is 7 feet deep, and the remaining 84 feet are formed with a sloping bottom to a gradient of 1 in 12. Eleven teak ladders are fixed vertically against the walls, and at the ends of the deep portion, and a moulded terra-cotta scum-channel is fixed along the deep side and ends of the bath just above the surface of the water, which also serves as a hand-rail. The scum-channel is connected to the outlet pipe from the bath, and acts as an overflow, so that during the time that the pure filtered sea water is being pumped in at the bottom of the bath the surface water overflows into the scum-channel and thence into the sea. A diving stage is erected on the north gangway with two springboards, one being 8 ft. 6 in. high and the other 15 ft. high. A water-chute is also provided. The buildings have been designed in a simple Renaissance style. The wails are constructed of brick, rendered with Portland cement.

The filtration plant for purifying the sea water before it passes into the bath consists of a concrete filter-tank. 25 ft. long by 17 ft. wide, with a 10-in. distributing pipe on top fitted with five cones for regulating the delivery. At the bottom of the tank is a 10-in. distributing pipe, tapped with forty-eight 1.5 inch tapped bosses for carrying the filter tubes, and connected to forty-eight 2 inch copper tubes, perforated with fine holes, and each fitted with gun-metal connector. Brass-lined wedge valves, 10 inch and 6 inch, are provided to control the working of the filler. The filtering material covering the perforated tubes comprises 12.5 tons of coarse gravel on the bottom  and 23 tons of Norwegian spar. The water is raised to the filter by means of an electrically driven "Sunturbo" self-regulating pump, capable of delivering 30,000 gallons of sea water per hour when running at a speed of 800 revolutions per minute. The pump is directly connected through a flexible coupling to a 10 bhp  shunt-wound motor  at 480 volts. The pump and motor are mounted on a massive cast-iron bed plate, and are fitted with a starting panel D.P. switch and fuses.

The water is drawn through an 8-in. iron suction pipe 650 feet long, and allows about two hours' pumping before high-water and about two hours' pumping after high-water, and is fitted with an 8-in. foot valve. The bath bottom at the deep end is fitted with a cast-iron run-off box 24 in. by 24 in., with heavy brass grid, and controlled by a I2-in. brass-lined wedge valve and connected to 12-in. diameter steel tubes 700 feet  long for emptying the bath. In order to prevent the discharge of dirty water while the fresh water is being pumped, an electrical appliance is fixed to the run-off valve, which automatically cuts off the current from the pumps when the valve is open.

The promenade and gangways are laid with reinforced granite-faced concrete, and the roofs of the buildings are of solid concrete and iron covered with natural rock asphalt. The dressing accommodation comprises twenty-seven ladies' cabins, with dressing- rooms, fitted with dressing-tables, mirrors and lavatories. A hot-water service is provided to enable each bather to have a hot foot-bath after bathing. Cold shower-sprays are also provided. The accommodation for gentlemen is precisely the same as that for ladies.  A cafe, 33 ft. by 16 feet, is erected with verandah, having folding screens, which can be thrown open if required. A wash-house 31 ft. by 15 ft. is provided with drying closets and electrically driven machines and wash-tubs. Provision has been made for spectators by means of raised terraced seats. 

An electrically driven 3-in. centrifugal pump is installed for purposes of pumping sea water from the bath and discharging same into water-carts. It is the intention of the council to use salt water for watering the roads. With regard to the discharge of sewage, an underground tank is provided, fitted with an automatic electrically driven pump.[ The Surveyor and Municipal and County Engineer 7 July 1916 page 6.]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 7 June 1916 page 10
Reference    The Surveyor and Municipal and County Engineer 7 July 1916 page 6. By  J S Sawdon, Assoc. M. INST. C.E. Engineer and Surveyor to the Urban District Council.