Chester City Baths - Historic Victorian Swimming Pool

Chester City Baths is a historic city centre venue housing not just one but two Victorian Swimming Pools and has been at the heart of Chester's community for well over 100 years.

The baths have two magnificent pools steeped in history alongside a gym and provide public swims as well as swimming lessons and coaching sessions.

Up until 1898 Chester's residents and visitors had enjoyed swimming in a floating bath construction submerged in the River Dee which was described by journalists of the time to have broken loose from it's iron chain moorings and taken by a strong tide and sailed off triumphantly to the sea!

After this unfortunate incident architect John Douglas was commissioned to build Chester's first indoor City baths that you can swim in today.

One swimming pool was named "Atlantic“, and cost just 2d per session, with galleries for spectators. The second pool was named “Pacific" and cost 6d per session both of which are now £7 a session.

When the baths were first built very few houses had their own bathroom, so people would visit Chester City Baths to bathe themselves. On the first-class side, there are four ladies' slipper baths, four men's slipper baths and a vapour bath, while on the other side there are seven men's slipper baths and a vapour bath. Evidence of the slipper baths can still be seen in the office at the City Baths.

In 1975 when the Northgate Arena Leisure Pool was opened the plan was to close Chester City Baths but they were thankfully kept open with the support of the Chester Swimming Association in order to secure the future of competitive swimming and water polo in the city.

Chester City Baths has owed much of its success and longevity over the years to the hard work by the volunteer labour force and the City Council's investment in continuing to extend the lease, a situation we hope may continue well into the future so that more and more people may experience this treasure of Chester.

Since 1977, Chester Swimming Association has implemented numerous improvements to the building, which include the installation of gas fired heating, the building of a licensed social club, the provision of a cafeteria and kitchen, the building of a gymnasium, the installation of a new water filtration system and the strengthening and refurbishment of the pool halls and structure and in 2013 Cheshire West and Chester Council ensured that the future of the baths was secure by undertaking major repairs to the structure of the building.