Cleveland Pools Pictures
In September 2009, Cleveland Pools were opened to the public. Watchdog went along with a camera to record what condition they were in. The following pictures are a selection to let anybody who couldn't go along see what they missed.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and according to those manning the event, it had been well attended. By the time this photograph was taken, most of the visitors had been and gone, which is why there are only a few visitors in this picture.
The angle the picture was taken from allowed a reflection off the water. In a closer view, it can be seen that the water is actually an opaque green, full of algae with a fair amount of vegetation floating on the surface.
This is a view taken in the opposite direction. Again there is a reflection off the water, but this time the weeds growing out of the stonework at the edge of the pool can be clearly seen, as can some of the vegetable matter floating on the water.
The people on the extreme right of the picture are looking at the river. In the earliest days of the pools, this location housed a sluice so that the pools could be refilled from the river. Somewhat later, this location was where a jetty had been installed.
This is the cottage, which was not open to the visitors. The doorway in the middle, underneath the light, once used to provide a tunnel under the building as the main entrance to the pools.
The cottage used to be a residence, until the council evicted the tenant. Although the cottage was sound while it was occupied, an empty building remains unheated and therefore gradually becomes damp. It is not beyond salvation, but its condition is not going to improve while it is left unused.
The picture on the left, and the two below show some of the dereliction that we noticed. It is not obvious what caused the damage to the wall pictured on the left, but we do understand why it was fenced off for public safety on the open day.
The pictures below show the general dereliction. The children's pool on the left should have held water, but there is so much damage to the floor and sides of the pool caused by the roots of the weeds that have been allowed to establish themselves there that major repairs would now be needed. The picture on the right shows the roofs of the changing rooms. Whether these have been damaged by branches falling from the overhanging trees or by trespassers is not obvious. The building in the distance is the Ladies Changing Rooms; there are roof slates missing.
There are many other photographs of the pools, not taken by us, available on-line.