History

Here is the story of Wotton pool...

Here is the story of Wotton pool... It all began in 1958 when a group of teachers and pupils from Wotton under Edge County Secondary School and a few local engineers volunteered to build an out door swimming pool. It was used as part of the curriculum of handicraft skills for the boys and became a project for all at the school to invest their enthusiasm and optimism. It was finished in 1961. The full details have been recorded in a report written at the time and accessible from this website. The personal determination and the willingness to let individuals take responsibility for the project shines through.

The pool was used a great deal, and was an important part of the towns sports facilities. However, it was cold (it was freezing!!) so in the 70's some local engineers worked with the local authority to build a heating system. It was agreed that neither gas nor electric would be economical so renewable energy was chosen. They chose to build a solar panel. But it isn't a normal solar panel. Not a small and expensive glass and copper device; it is made of an array plastic pipes covered in asphalt to absorb the sun's heat. The water that normally is pumped through the filter is diverted through these pipes when the sun is shining. It covers an area of 120 square metres. Its output depends on the weather, but at the height of summer water flow and temperature measurements confirmed a power delivery of 60kW!

It is weather dependent and while there is nothing better than swimming outdoors when the weather is good, when the weather is bad there is nothing worse! So, in 1998 a retractable polycarbonate roof was fitted. Just like the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (but, admittedly a bit smaller!) it can be opened on the hot days and can be shut on colder days to keep the cold English weather out and the swimmers still coming in.

In 2001 an off peak electrical heater was installed to supplement the solar panel; this has the effect of extending the season, and means that a minimum water temperature can be achieved, whatever the weather.

The next stage is to improve the changing rooms