Heeley Baths in late 50s, 60s

[dishwasher]

I think I read in one of these wonderful Peter Harvey books about bygone days in Sheffield that it was built and opened in the early 1900s.

 

In those days, they didn't have sophisticated walter-filtering facilities like you do today.

 

So the bath was filled, used, emptied and filled again.

 

There was also, I understand, a sliding scale of charges. It was dearest to swim on 'clean water' days and the cost reduced until it was drained and refilled

 

Wallbuilder - Carter Knowle Juniors still take kids there today for lessons!

[WallBuilder]

How well I remember the walk to the pool, it was fine if the class was an even number of boys to girls but you used to dread that walk if you had to be paired with a girl!!!

CarterKnowle did have it's own swimming pool for several years, only a small shallow affair but the school was very proud of it and a lot of the money raised to build it was by all the kids bringing in papers and magazines , I wonder how many irritated parents lost their paper before they'd even had a chance to read it?

I think that's why Heeley baths made me nervous though, going from a three and a half feet deep pool to one that just seemed to go down and down and down.

[dishwasher]

WallBuilder - The swimming pool at Carter Knowle was a great thing to have for a school of that size.

 

But when my eldsest was a pupil there, they closed it down.

 

It was down to cash. Simply put, it just cost too much to run. Shame really, but that's life, I suppose.

 

The building is still there, but it's some sort of play room now, I think.

 

On another subject completely, you said - on another thread I think - that at your age (mid 40s) that you'd feel uncomfortable at a forum meet, something like that, anyway.

 

Well, I'm your age, and I can assure you that meets at Woodseats, and indeed Dev Cat on Sundays, are a right laugh.

 

Next time there's a meet at Woodseats, come along. I guarantee you'll have a great time.

[WallBuilder]

Sorry going off topic just slightly.

The pool at carter Knowle school was a real plus for the school and we liked it so much we [the boys] didn't even mind having to wear swimming caps so our hair wouldn't block the filters.

The building before hand was like a big open fronted garage although it must of been built originally for some other purpose. All the newspapers we collected, begged and borrowed were stacked in there and to a little child [me] it looked almost mountainous.

I think it's a real shame that it's now all gone as I happen to believe that teaching kids to swim should be on all school curriculums and that pool helped so many of us.

[gingercat1]

I remember the freezing changing rooms when we went with Bradway County School. Later the hot tub in the corner full of old men soaping themselves. The scum on the top of the water was unebelievable. They used to moan when the young'uns got in, let the warm water out and fill it with scalding hot water so we had to get out!!

The sarspirella shop at the top next to the cinema, anybody remember that?

YES I REMEMBER HEELEY BATHS, I ALMOST DROWNED THERE! BUT YOU'RE RIGHT . THE ONLY THING WARM WAS THE FOOTBATH, THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!!!!

[artisan]

I remember walking down in pairs in a line from Carter Knowle Junior once a week for swimming lessons and as i wasn't keen on learning to swim found it rather traumatic. I did eventually get my 25 yards certificate but as I was in a state of almost blind panic managed to bang my head on the sidequite hard when I reached the end.

The pool is still open and I sometimes think of going in just to re-live a few old memories. I've been told that you never forget how to swim but I haven't swum for longer than I care to remember and so might try Rowlinsons instead as it's shallower.

Rowlinson has got its own baths? Not before time! We were always the best school in the City. (so Mr Kay used to tell us )

[Greybeard]

Used to go to Heeley baths every Saturday morning in the late 40s early 50s. Got up at 7am to get in on the first session with the clean slipper baths

 

Learnt to swim there when I was nine by being pushed in the deep end (think you had to be ten to get in on your own, but I was tall for my age).

 

Afterwards it was round to my grandad's on Aizlewood road for tea and toast, or if he wasn't in, back to the little temperance bar near the cinema for a hot Vimto.

[Plain Talker]

so that's at least three of us who came to bodily harm at heeley baths!

 

I also came to grief there, in the early seventies. I was being taught to dive, and dived into the water.

 

Only problem was I hadn't turned my hands, in such a way so I'd come back up to the surface. I went straight down, like a stone, I hit my head on the tiles on the bottom, and knocked myself out.

 

This was over thirty years ago, and I still have the remnants of the "cob" on my forehead. My mother described it as looking like I had a hard-boiled egg stuck on my head. It was huge!

 

PT

[jauntyone]

hey chuffinel

 

I remember offering to clean sides of heeley baths and getting an extra free session. It was in the 60's tho.

Do you remember the sweet shop on the opposite side of the road, just a little house made into a shop??

We to would walk up through Tyzacks passage way, as we lived on little london road.

Spent many an hour playing on the river sheaf, how we did'nt get infected with something but we were tough in those days.

[tosh13]

hey chuffinel

 

I remember offering to clean sides of heeley baths and getting an extra free session. It was in the 60's tho.

Do you remember the sweet shop on the opposite side of the road, just a little house made into a shop??

We to would walk up through Tyzacks passage way, as we lived on little london road.

Spent many an hour playing on the river sheaf, how we did'nt get infected with something but we were tough in those days.

Me & my mates used to go down to Heeley baths on saturday morning & clean the side's of the pool, also in the late 60s & play at skimming pebbles at the river sheaf,my Mum worked at Tyzacks & Monks.