Back in 1933, a meeting was held by interested parties, with the intention of building an lido (outdoor swimming pool) in Ingleton. The prime intention of the meeting was to agree a suitable site, and it was proposed to locate the pool at White Bridge, near the Cat Leaps. A subsequent vote settled on the current site, next to the river, as it was more conveniently placed, being closer to the village.
At this
time, JLE Construction & Co were building the
Iron Bridge on the edge of the village on the Kirkby
Lonsdale side of the A65. One of their engineers
took an interest in the project and offered his
professional advice on the construction side.
In June 1933, the first sods were dug by Jim Howson, Arnie Robinson, Stan Tomlinson and Tommy Redhead. The task was boosted shortly after, when the miners from the local colliery went on strike and the majority helped dig out the pool.
The pool was originally of concrete construction and 30m x 9m (approx.) and was only 0.5m deep at the shallow end, dropping to almost 3m at the deep end. Two buildings were constructed for male and female changing, and a three level diving board was place on the corner of the deep end
The pool was filled using a 3 inch bore pipe, which was gravity fed from the river. A competition was held to guess how long it would take to fill the pool. It took 25 hours, hence the pipe was replaced with a 6 inch bore in 1936.
Swimming commenced immediately and a Mr Wilson
looked after the pool as caretaker. Fundraising
commenced, with a donation of £50 from Mr
Worthington.
Official Opening
The official opening of Ingleton Swimming Pool took place in August 1934 and was conducted by Harry Eustace Vant, a solicitor from Settle. A swimming gala was held in celebration with prizes presented to all participants by Mrs Worthington.
Bob
Pollard became the first 100yds champion, having
borrowed the money to enter the race! Jim Wilkinson
won the first 'fastest swimmer' event.
The first secretary of the pool was J.S. Howson, who was succeeded by Jim Howson (no relation).
The pool had been built on manor land, without
permission, but the owners kindly donated the land
to the Parish Council, and the site is still rented
from them for a peppercorn rent (one shilling or 5
pence per annum).
Improvements
In 1974, the pool had a major facelift, being
virtually rebuilt. As the pool was now to be heated
and chlorinated, the cost of the equipment to do
this was prohibitive and this resulted in the pool
being reduced in size to 20m x 8m.
The modernisation was undertaken as part of a package of improvements to the village, such as the construction of the community centre on the site of the old railway station, and was funded by the government.
To enable the pool to take advantage of the grants available, the control of the pool came under the umbrella of the Ingleton Rural Community Association, where it remains today.
Recent improvements have seen the filtration system upgraded in 2005. Ironically, the current equipment could now service the pool at it's original size.
A new changing block was officially opened in
July 2005, boasting showing facilities, private
changing booths and under floor heating. Some
improvements to accessibility for disabled people
have also taken place, with the introduction of a
ramp to the entrance, and disabled changing/toilets.
Day to Day Running
The pool now employs a Supervisor, Caretaker and
Lifeguards as part of it's operational requirements,
but without the help of unpaid volunteers, who
organise fund-raising, man swimming club sessions,
some public sessions and maintain and clean the pool
each season, the pool could not operate today or
have survived over the years. It is to these
unselfish, under recognised souls , both past and
present, that this web site is dedicated.