Many thanks to Paul Doleman for sending in several, great old photographs that I’ll share with you all over the next couple of weeks. Starting us off a series of photos from the 1931 opening gala of the redeveloped Hoylake Pool. I think I’m right in saying that the original pool was constructed in 1913.
As you can see from the photo above the opening gala was a popular event …the place looks jam packed!
The photo below features the slides and diving boards. I’ll show you another photo of the building in the rear of the shot next week and it’ll explain all. You can just make out the bandstand in the distance, inside Meols Parade Gardens – for a better image have a look at this post.
And here are some more spectators avoiding the onshore breeze by sitting in their deck chairs behind the wall:
And for a lovely old photo down the road in Meols go here.
Fantastic pictures yet again – that water looks as cold as it ever was! Is it my memory (through the eyes of a child) or was the seaward wooden wall a lot higher in the 70s? ‘The Killer’ looks as intimidating now as it used to back in the day…brings back great memories of a wonderful facility when imagination was still the main ingredient for play time.
In later days the wall had a wooden fence on top so seemed higher. It was dismantled in the winter to save it from storm damage; I wonder when and why they started putting up the fence. It took away the view but made the back wall by far the best place to catch the morning sun and was where the locals would come and bag their places early before the crowds poured in later in the day.
When did the second ‘killer’ slide get removed I wonder?
Great pics, amazing memories. What a loss for Hoylake.
What great pics. How nice to see the front with a bit of atmosphere and people enjoying themselves!
I also seem to recall the wall being higher than it shows in the picture. The water temperature never seemed to be warm enough even in the height of the summer. Remember one day having to do a swimming certificate in very cold water but fortunately managed to pass. Hot Bovril from the cafe was always very welcome on those days. On the other hand, many of us spent lots of time at the pool during the summer holidays. We would all have a contract so would spend the whole day there, although you had to come out when they closed for lunch.
So many happy memories from that place. Like Sheila said we had contracts but still had to leave at lunch time.
The weather didn’t seem to matter much- it was the place to hang out in the summer. My fave in the cafe was horlicks- but now I hate the stuff!
wow! what memories the pool photo brings back. As a child of the early fifties I used to go to the swimming pool as often as finances would allow..I was never the proud owner of a season ticket.
It was usually cold and I can remember progressing from the shallow end onto the slides and eventually jumping off the boards..sadly no longer allowed and as one person has already said, hot bovril after getting dressed.
Do others remember wild and windy days when the sea water came over the back walls…gosh we were brave then.
Many thanks for the opportunity to” paddle” down memory lane Sheila
I worked at the pool when I left school in 1977, i loved the job and have a lot of great memories, I was up on the wirral recently as I now live in Kent and was saddened to see that the pool no longer exists. The Cottrial brothers were the owners when I was there and I remember them diving into the deep filter tank that was out of view from the public. I was probably the smallest lifeguard on the wirral at the time so was always given the shallow end duties ha ha !!. Oh Happy Days!!
Hi
I also worked as a pool attendant for a couple of years after school.
The council wanted to close the pool as it was too expensive to maintain, so a local group including my dad got together to try and save it. We had a huge rally outside the pool and thousands signed a petition…..in the end the council still closed the pool and the outdoor pool trust took over and ran it for a couple of years until it just became too expensive for them to maintain and became dangerous….part of the balcony crumbled and fell.
sadly it had to close down.
My brothers, Steve and Dave worked in the pump house…they used to go down to the pool when the tide was in to let in the sea water which then went through the various filtering tanks, through the 2 fountains, and into the pool.
Does anyone remember the swimming clubs annual Gala? It was such fun and it felt like everyone in Hoylake would come down and watch or join in.
Hi Gill I remember your brothers very well, they were always good fun to be with and worked hard to maintain the good running of the pool. I also remember going on a fishing trip with Steve to Bull Bay Anglesey I wonder if he does. I also remember your dad being the driving force behind keeping the pool open, I look back with fondness at the happy times spent at the pool such a shame it no longer exists.
Hoylake Baths was my life! I basically grew up there! I learnt to swim in the freezing cold! I mangled my costumes, I had picnics with my Mum and brother after school! I learnt to dive with the help of of the ever leathery Charlie Tranter and went on to win Cheshire Ladies Spring Board Diving Competitions – ALL BECAUSE OF HOYLAKE BATHS.
I climbed on the fountains with everyone else who wasn’t allowed!!! I sat on the steps trying to get used to the water temperature and I swam in the galas!
I had seasonal contracts for at least 8 years, knew the Cottriall brothers, I did synchronised swimming with Pinky Stabback – I even broke the ice one year for our synchro routine during ‘Miss Merseyside’!
I was scared of the bottom of the pool at the ‘Killer’ end (it was so dark!!)
I was a whistle twizzling pool attendant for a season….. and finally I cried when it closed.
I will never forget you Hoylake Baths – There was nothing like it and never will be again
Thanks to all of the Cottrialls for my very well spent youth!!x
Hi Gill, I remember your family well. Steve was a year older than me but was an amazing swimmer winning a lot of trophies. Also remember Mr Griffiths and Mr Fenney.
Hi Andrew…….Yes it is a shame we no longer have the pool although I’m not sure many people would appreciate the temperatures now we have got used to indoor pools.
I remember the temperature was usually around 55…if it got up to the dizzy heights of 65 we thought it was positively warm!!
I will ask Steve if he remembers you and your trip to Bull Bay…..I may even pursuade him to come on this site although he is pretty useless with technology :-))
Hi, To all,
You all have brought back memories I thought had long gone. Does anyone remember Sid Dutton who was in charge of the pool when the council ran it, he actually taught me to sort of swim/doggy paddle when I was 2 years old (I was a danger to myself as I would just jump in anywhere) I was a lifeguard in 1970 and I remember Steve Cottrial from old school days (the Parade) not that I would remember him now 40 plus years is a long time, I recall when we had very high tides and hurricane force winds in the 60`s the wooden panels on the sea wall being ripped off and moved into the pool deep end, unfortunately this was close to end off season so the council closed the pool down for the rest of the season
I remember Sid Dutton who also taught me to swim in Hoylake baths. I met him a few years ago in West-Kirby park and we had a chat about old times at the baths.
I was a pool attendant too, in 1976 I think, the year of the heatwave and the Ladybird invasion! I have some great memories from that time.
So many memories of where I spent a lot of time in my teens in the 60’s. I swam with the Hoylake Swimming Club and remember Charlie Tranter, an Olympic diving judge at one time, teaching us diving. I can still feel what it was like to swim in 60 degree water!
Jamie Swaine, I’m pretty sure we went to Hoylake C of E Primary school together, along with Linda Cottriall, (my first love, (albeit from a distance), at age 11 or 12. I assume she is related to you Gill, as I remember her brother Steve as well.
I also helped out at the boating pool next door to the swimming pool and with the ponies once in a while as well, all for the Clark family. Linda helped with the ponies as well as I recall.
I emigrated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1971 and I really enjoy all of the memories on this site.
Hi again to all, Yes I remember Charlie Tranter very well, he used to teach us trampoline at the YMCA in market street, I also recall the day he was instructing a man on the new spring board, and this man asked me to hold his towel, and then did this amazing double with twists somersaults, I then found out it was Brian Phelps the English Olympic high dive member, That was a major buzz, as I was only around 9/10/11 years old.
70-77 Ali green brought mashed potato and catsup sandwiches. We drank hot Ribina after swimming lessons. Dougie Armitage was annoyed when I pushed over the clothing racks which fell like dominoes in the changing rooms. I swam after 8 pints at the green lodge.
How fantastic to see that’s swimming pool again we were taken over the for swimming lessons are quite late parades school I think it was 1964 I learned to swim that and I remember going in it was so freezing cold and one time is hailstoned on our heads