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Hydrock provides engineering services to transform Grade II* listed Cleveland Pools lido in Bath

16th Sept 2019

Our structural engineers were appointed to join our building performance (M&E) engineers in working to restore the UK’s oldest open-air swimming baths to their former glory.

The Cleveland Pools, on the outskirts of Bath, were built in 1815 and are the country’s only surviving Georgian lido. Following the pools’ closure in 1984, the Cleveland Pools Trust worked to secure almost £5 million in National Lottery heritage funding to bring the lido back to life again. The project made Bath home to the world’s first naturally treated, heated, outdoor swimming pool.

Our Building Performance Engineering (M&E) team worked on the project for some time. The team undertook extensive stakeholder engagement with the council (B&NES), English Heritage and Natural England, and developed pool water treatment and heating strategies using the natural, low grade heat energy of the river to heat the pool water.

Our structural engineering team were appointed to provide design services for the refurbishment of the existing Grade II* listed building, the site grounds and the on-site swimming pool. New facilities within the development include a 25m swimming pool, children’s splash area, pavilion and café.

Retaining the facility’s Grade II* Listed status was critical. The project was led by our Conservation Accredited Engineer Roger Bareham, calling on his significant experience with heritage buildings.

The renovated site is used as a community-focused lido by paying members of the general public and opened in the summer of 2021.