1. The History
Very little info about this magical place on the web. It was apparently constructed as a private pool as part of a Country Club that operated in the late 20's early 30's. In the late 30s it became open to members who paid a fee to join. The pool was fed by a mountain stream and even in mid-Summer the water was very cold. Recollections recall it being open to the public in the 1940s/50s and costing a “shilling for children and half-a-crown for adults”. Apparently, the storms of 1947 did an enormous amount of damage to the pool and it was “never the same again”. Despite that, it remained open into the 1960s as corroborated by postcards from that era. Now the pool lays abandoned and hidden in the woods. The current owners have started to clear the place up.
Here’s an archive picture of the place:
Old pool 3 by HughieDW, on Flickr
2. The Explore
Was nearby, so, a couple of years on from the time when I first visited this place, thought I’d have a look at how it’s getting on. It’s quite easy access for this beauty. A park-up on the main road and a short walk through the woods and you are there. When the place came into view, I was a bit surprised as they have cleared the vegetation. In some ways it has lost its charm a bit as it all looks a bit grey. Also, the addition of new security notices indicates the owners may have tired of unofficial visitors over time. You can contrast it with what it looked like previously via the old report HERE
Anyway, still worth a look as I took in the rather sweet little boiler house that I overlooked last time.
3. The Pictures
img1653 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1655 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The water levels look a bit like they are down:
img1658 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1657 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1659 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1671 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1660 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1661 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1672 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Hayfield 01 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And on to the boiler room:
Hayfield 04 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Hayfield 02 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1674 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img1669 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Reminds me of an engine off “Thomas the Tank Engine”:
img1664 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Hayfield 05 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Very little info about this magical place on the web. It was apparently constructed as a private pool as part of a Country Club that operated in the late 20's early 30's. In the late 30s it became open to members who paid a fee to join. The pool was fed by a mountain stream and even in mid-Summer the water was very cold. Recollections recall it being open to the public in the 1940s/50s and costing a “shilling for children and half-a-crown for adults”. Apparently, the storms of 1947 did an enormous amount of damage to the pool and it was “never the same again”. Despite that, it remained open into the 1960s as corroborated by postcards from that era. Now the pool lays abandoned and hidden in the woods. The current owners have started to clear the place up.
Here’s an archive picture of the place:
2. The Explore
Was nearby, so, a couple of years on from the time when I first visited this place, thought I’d have a look at how it’s getting on. It’s quite easy access for this beauty. A park-up on the main road and a short walk through the woods and you are there. When the place came into view, I was a bit surprised as they have cleared the vegetation. In some ways it has lost its charm a bit as it all looks a bit grey. Also, the addition of new security notices indicates the owners may have tired of unofficial visitors over time. You can contrast it with what it looked like previously via the old report HERE
Anyway, still worth a look as I took in the rather sweet little boiler house that I overlooked last time.
3. The Pictures
The water levels look a bit like they are down:
And on to the boiler room:
Reminds me of an engine off “Thomas the Tank Engine”:
