The Cottage Homes' Lost Swimming Pool

This clump of trees on the northern boundary of the Jameson Manor estate obscures the site of the outdoor swimming pool which was provided for the children at the Cottage Homes children’s home, the buildings of which the estate is constructed around.

It is not mentioned at all in the detailed descriptions of the Homes when they were first opened in 1903, so probably dated to shortly afterwards as they are shown on the Ordnance Survey Map of around 1913. They are regularly mentioned in newspaper accounts of celebrations held at the Homes right up until the 1930’s. They were still in use in the 1950’s as one former resident recalled:

"During this time at No 10 I can vaguely remember going down to our swimming baths on a hot sunny day - a full sized baths down the field behind No 10, and the building was made from corrugated iron”.

There seems to have been an annual sports gala provided for the children with swimming competitions for both the boys and the girls. It was after one of these events in 1927 that the Chairwoman of the Management Committee of the homes observed that:

“A healthy home, happiness, and a fair chance in life was the birth right of every child, and that was what the committee had been standing for 24 years.