Health Hydro pool work is almost completed

A rectangular room with a large swimming pool down the centre. The pool is deep with white tiles which are cracked on the floor. Along the pool floor, there are 5 black lines signalling the swimming lanes. Above the pool is a big curved, Victorian window made of stain glass. On all sides of the pool are scaffolding for the continuing work.Swindon Borough Council

The pool has been drained and new filters are being installed

Kayleigh Barker
BBC Wiltshire

Work on Swindon's Health Hydro is on course to be completed by early next year.

A topping out ceremony marked the finish of the major structural work in phase one of the restoration and refurbishment on the Grade II* listed Victorian building, with just internal works to continue.

Tours are set to begin at the end of the week, offering the public an opportunity to see the progress made on the multi-million pound project since its closure two years ago.

This comes as a planning application was submitted recently for phase two of the work which will focus on the main pool hall.

If funding is approved, work will start in early 2027 which will see the pool closed again for a further 12 to 18 months.

Work was initially due to be completed on phase one in late 2024 but the discovery of asbestos and moisture issues delayed its progress.

Once it is reopened improvements to the Victorian building will include a new gym, modernised accessible changing facilities, a ventilation system and a new engine room.

A large, tall room which looks very industrial. There are white glazed bricks covering every wall and big cream rectangular windows. The room is full of tools and wooden boards. The room is in the process of being sectioned off. To the left of the partition will be the gym.Swindon Borough Council

Work to repair the glazed bricks in the new gym area are underway

Talking about phase two, project manager, Doug Gray said: "That's not confirmed yet but that's the plan to get funding for phase two which will deal with the swimming pool itself.

"In phase one we're dealing with the plant side of it which will get it all up and running but from a decorative and aesthetic point of view, we want to take that back to its original form should funding be approved."

And if approved, the original decorative brickwork around the stained-glass window could be revealed after decades of being hidden by peeling paint.

The steel trusses holding up the roof will also be painted in a colour more reminiscent of the hydro's early 20th-Century heyday.

Other parts of the extensive plan are less obvious, but include improved ventilation of the main pool hall, better heating and cooling and better drainage of the pool.

The project lead is smiling wearing a blue and white striped shirt, black rounded glasses, a yellow high vis jacket and bright orange hard hat with the company name, Beard written on the front. Behind him are the white glazed bricks in the gym and insulation which is being fitted into the walls.

Doug Gray, project lead said he's excited about the progress which has been made

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky said: "Everything about it is amazing…the scale of it, the size of it and the history.

"It's the longest continuously operating Victorian Baths in the country but it had to adapt to the needs of the community and to changing times."

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