After protracted deliberations, initially about the provision of a swimming bath at Llandaff Fields, the Council agreed that Splott Park should also have a swimming bath and paddling pool.
This decision was taken partly because public works were needed to provide employment in the early 1920s. The Parks Committee agreed on 20th September 1921 that "unemployed men be engaged upon the construction of an open-air bath... in Splott Park, at an estimated cost of £5,500."[1] Subsequently it was decided that the the bath would be 12 yards wide and 50 yards in length, 15 yards of which were to be paddling pool.[2] Work started on 17th October 1921 and by July 1922 "dressing boxes and a 'shed' with a gallery on top"[1] were under construction.
The swimming bath and paddling pool were formally opened on 14th August 1922 by Councillor R.G.H. Snook, Chairman of the Parks Committee, with many local local residents present. The paddling pool was 12 yards x 15 yards and the depth of water was from 2 inches to 2 feet. The bathing season was from May 1st to September 30th each year.
The 1942 and 1948 aerial photographs show the swimming bath and paddling pool as separate items.
In 1972 it was decided to convert the open-air bath to an indoor pool. The cost of conversion was estimated to be £143,750 plus the cost of renovating the tank, whereas a new pool on the existing site would cost approximately £185,000.[3] It was decided to provide a new pool, and a tender of £210,585 for the work was accepted in January 1974.[4] In late 1975 the work was nearing completion.[5] The new pool opened on March 7th 1976.[6]
Further refurbishment was carried out in 2003 to include facilities for the disabled.
This was Cardiff's oldest swimming pool when it was closed on 31st March 2014.[7]
Sources of information