Ushaw Moor Memories (Backup)

Memories of Ushaw Moor and Deerness Valley

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Ushaw College Swimming Bath

Ushaw College Swimming Baths

Photo of Swimming Baths Ushaw College.

Anyone remember this ? Was it available for anyone to use or just the Students of the College ?

 

7 comments:

  1. I used to go to St. Joseph's RC School in Ushaw Moor and once a year we would be taken to Ushaw College and could use the pool. It was only available for College Students/Staff. I can't make it out clearly on the photo but there used to be small individual changing cubicles around the outside of the pool (late 1980's).

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  2. Thanks for your comments rogandb7.

    Shame the College is closing, I wonder whats in store for the building now ?

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  3. The Swimming Baths were still there and in daily use about 10/15 years ago. My eldest brother Jim was a joiner at Ushaw College and the first time I went up to the College after I retired he showed me around and a visit to the Baths was on the tour.

    When I used to roam the beck as a young lad there was a small pump house in working order about 200 yards up the beck in the direction of Broadgate on the right hand bank from what we knew as "The Plank". There is a small bridge across the beck now in place of "The Plank" at the bottom of the path that leads down from Deerness View. Where the water was pumped to I do not know but the crack was that it was pumped to Ushaw College Baths. I doubt that now as the water was not exactly the cleanest. There was always a very small leak from an external pipe leading into the pump house and the water froze in winter and formed an arch of ice about 4/5 feet in length, very thin and very fragile.

    A few yards away from the pump house there was a large man made basin dug out of the earth. Grass grew on the floor and side of the basin and whatever its original use it was even then many years since it was used for its original purpose. The crack then that this was used as a swimming pool by the College students before the Baths were built at Ushaw. Whether there was any truth in that explanation I do not know.

    A few yards up stream there was and still is a weir built across the beck. I never knew the reason for the weir being built there. This is a hundred yards downstream from the crossing at Broadgate. Can anyone shine any light on this question.

    In the same area and just yards downstream from the crossing at Broadgate someone told me that a lot of years ago there was a small factory that produced bricks and tiles. Again I wonder if anyone can shine any light on this.

    Brian Mc.

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  4. Brian one of your assets is the ability to recall details and then write about them in an interesting way. Many thanks for your impressive efforts and long may they continue. Books and pints to look forward to as well.

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  5. anthony dickinson27 November 2011 at 09:36

    I swam in that pool...possibly sometime in the 70's.... the coldest water I ever had the privilege of diving in...!!! thanks for the photo....

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  6. could anyone give me the location of this, i heard that the building is there but I'm unsure of the location and i would like to go explore and take some photos

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  7. Hi Mark, someone has replied to your POST on the Facebook PAGE,, the POSTS/COMMENTS are automatically fed to the Ushaw Moor Memories FB PAGE.

    Follow this link http://is.gd/JQ6iSQ

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