Swimming pools & swimmers

The 50m pool project is being covered on BBC Midlands news tonight at 6.30pm.

Livingstone Road site to become GP surgery and home for mentally ill

I was also a member of Cov Godiva Ladies swimming club on Tuesdays. I found learning to swim with 2 rings and 2 wooden boards too difficult, so my parents decided that their money would be better spent at Cov Swimming Club on Fridays. I remember a belt being put around me, under my arms. It was attached to a rope which the teacher held and pulled in as I swam along. This was late 1950s as I got my 30 yard certificate when I was 6 years old. Another trick to entice us to be able to swim the whole length was to dangle the belt in front of your nose as you swam, a bit like a donkey and a carrot on a stick. I think my teacher was Mrs Mills or Miles, but I dreaded being so proficient that I would have to move up to Mr Moffats group as he shouted a lot and made you do butterfly. I can confirm that the deep end was 10ft 6in and the shallow end 3ft. I was also pushed in when trying to negotiate the steps - mind you it gave me confidence because having touched the bottom I came up again ad didnt drown. I also remember watching the new baths being built and many good times there as well, but 50m was a lot further than 30yds !

1951 Gosford Cold?? Why did I spare so many clothing coupons.

According to the latest Citivision magazine distributed by the council. the new central baths will not only be shorter at 25 metres but also narrower, just four lanes wide. So actually not even a quarter of the size of the current main pool and presumably nowhere near as deep either.

I was learning to swim at the main baths in the early 70's. Having mastered the breaststroke and backstroke, I remember Mr Moffat saying that next week we would be starting on front crawl. Unfortunately we were contacted during the week to be told that Mr Moffat had suffered a (fatal?) heart attack. I never attended swimming lessons again and still can't do the front crawl to this day!

Great views from the top of One Friargate in this Telegraph article (which also includes photos of "Coventry buildings that are gone but not forgotten"). Post copied from topic Aerial Views of Coventry on 25th Dec 2016 12:38 pm

Hi & thank you MR, Best pictures that I have ever seen of the Priory Baths.

Yes Philip it's a nice shot of the old baths. On the extreme left you can see the side entrance of the Beech Tree cafe, which was attached to the front of the baths building..

Hi. I remember that paddling pool well. It seemed huge to me because I was so little lol. It was always packed. We too had our picnic on the grass on a blanket.

I really like this one of Priory Street showing the baths as it shows the old Pool Meadow cafe that even I remember from the '70's/'80's and has been discussed / shown on here before so gives a perfect perspective as to where the baths stood in today's light (even though the vista was completely ruined by the Lanch flats going over the road).

Can't actually see the baths in the photo!

I thought that was the baths building on the left behind the bus Cliff? Hang on you're right - was that part of the Triumph works? If so move it to a better section please! Sorry - I wasn't around then