Bootle Times News

I hope you like these photos of Balliol Road Baths. I was a swimming instructor for Bootle Swim campaign. Bill Tidman was the other instructor.

Great pics Harry brings back lots of memories.

Thanks again harry , apart from a photo off rivermersy , these are the only ones that have been posted, brings back lots of memories , going with my dad on a sunday , also painting the baths for the corpy , bobhamo

Hi Harry,I lived opposite the baths and spent many happy hours there,your photo's brought back lovely memories,thank's for sharing them.Maureeng

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trying to remember one of the attendants name, does the surname Lane ring a bell to anyone

Thnak you Harry for sharing your photos with us

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Thanks for the photos Harry, brought back some good memories for me.. Doesn’t it look antwacky looking back now?

Great pics Harry, remember going to the baths with the school.

Thanks for sharing.

Kathy.

fazerman, one was a lad tommy mazzo, surname spelt something like masterson, lives in walton.steve m.

stevom_2009 wrote:fazerman, one was a lad tommy mazzo, surname spelt something like masterson, lives in walton.steve m.

Cheers Steve

Excellent pics, thanks Harry.

Mack

June Parker from Macbeth Street used to work in Balliol Baths - does that ring a bell with anyone?

Bern

thanks harry, great to see the old baths again, glad you did'nt show mr. dyke!!! he used to give me nightmares!!
martin/silver fox

loved the old baths and getting changed upstairs behind the green taupaulin that was pulled across and when nobody was looking jumping into the 6ft end off the balcony but used to love diving off the top board and seen many getting a big red belly doing the belly flop and thought it was great getting a handfull of Brylcream out of the dispenser for 2d and then out for a coffee/soup out of the machine and if you never had a cossie you could hire one and they use to lace up on the side and also hire a towel also and looking for a bit of soap left over in the showers but the highlight was going there on Sunday mornings when it was empty and getting your own locker instead of carrying your clothes over in the metal trays because you would always see lads doing depth charges and trying to soak you as you went past and also loved the swimming galas as i was a fairly good swimmer then and swam for The Winnies and loved doing the neat dive but as the baths deteriated bits of the paint would start to peel off the ceiling into the water but loved it just the same as i could swim a length underwater and i had my certificates and a length was 33yds

Hi Bern, I remember June Parker, she moved to he north park baths when Balliol closed down.

Bernie R wrote:June Parker from Macbeth Street used to work in Balliol Baths - does that ring a bell with anyone?

Bern

silverfox3448 wrote:thanks harry, great to see the old baths again, glad you did'nt show mr. dyke!!! he used to give me nightmares!!
martin/silver fox

Hi Martin, Mr Dyke!! He was a bit misunderstood, his bark was worse than his bite! He was actually a nice bloke, he died quite a few years back. I remember him shouting at a kid in the water "Move your bloody arms or you'll drown!"

henry wrote:loved the old baths and getting changed upstairs behind the green taupaulin that was pulled across and when nobody was looking jumping into the 6ft end off the balcony but used to love diving off the top board and seen many getting a big red belly doing the belly flop and thought it was great getting a handfull of Brylcream out of the dispenser for 2d and then out for a coffee/soup out of the machine and if you never had a cossie you could hire one and they use to lace up on the side and also hire a towel also and looking for a bit of soap left over in the showers but the highlight was going there on Sunday mornings when it was empty and getting your own locker instead of carrying your clothes over in the metal trays because you would always see lads doing depth charges and trying to soak you as you went past and also loved the swimming galas as i was a fairly good swimmer then and swam for The Winnies and loved doing the neat dive but as the baths deteriated bits of the paint would start to peel off the ceiling into the water but loved it just the same as i could swim a length underwater and i had my certificates and a length was 33yds

Henry, I remember so well all you have said about Balliol Road Baths, what memories!! How nobody got killed jumping off the balcony I will never know as you used to have to launch yourself incase you hit the poolside! Considering the water was only 5'9" deep diving off the top board was also very dangerous. Kids have no fun these days!! Talking of the Brylcream, we used to suck it out of the machine so we wouldn't have to pay for it! 2d was alot of money in those days!!
My nearest pool in my early swimming days was Marsh Lane Baths, the achievement of swimming a length of that pool was not as good as swimming a length of Balliol as it was only about 20 yards. Marsh Lane Pool was destroyed in the air raids and the small pool in Balliol was also damaged. The large pool reopened but there was such a short supply of coal the pool was always very cold! The attendent - Big Jim Bradley- used to walk around the pool hitting kids with a strap to make them get in the cold water!!! By the way, do you remember, the water was Sea Water? It was pumped up from the dock to a tank at the top of Breeze Hill where the Sea Water was drawn off for the water at Westminster Road & Balliol Road. (Cleaned up of course!) It was changed in about 1970 to freshwater. I was an instructor there for Otis Elevators Swimming Club, Girobank Swimming Club & Bootle Citizens Club from the 1950's til it closed. I used to do alot of Life Saving Competitions and when I retired from work I joined Liverpool Masters Club and competed in their age groups competitions. I still swim over at Total Fitness and as I am 82 they have given me a free pass so I can swim all day if my wife would let me! Am slowing down now but still enjoying life!

Harry, your photos are wonderful. Thank you for sharing them and your memories.
Lovely to see you are still swimming.

Marie.

I swam here many time, I only lived round the corner in Brasenose rd. Swam for St Winnies in the school galas, got all my certificates and badges, was only when I got my gold that I actually saw the other side of Mr Tidman, he said "well done", I was gobsmacked. One of our neighbours by the name of Bill Shed ( uncle Bill ) woked there so I used to get in for free, fond memories

Great memories and pictures! I remember a very pretty girl who work there in the early 80s she had a tattoo on her ankle of a swift I think it was.

I was in the Bootle amateur swimming Association and I had a breastroke swim trainner by the name of Mr Lunt. I wonder if you would remember him? I trainned with the club and also in different places and Mr Lunt used to organize where and when for me. Spent many happy days at Bootle Baths.

Rosie wrote:I was in the Bootle amateur swimming Association and I had a breastroke swim trainner by the name of Mr Lunt. I wonder if you would remember him? I trainned with the club and also in different places and Mr Lunt used to organize where and when for me. Spent many happy days at Bootle Baths.

When were you a member Rosie? I remember Mr Lunt & the main coach at Bootle was Ken Klosser.

Hi Harry! It would have been around 1956/57 when I was trainning under Mr Lunt. I was with the Bootle swimming club when home in Bootle, but I also trained with Preston A.S.A. under Northern Counties swimming coach Mr Bannister. He made me switch from breastroke to freestyle swimming. My problem, which came to light eventually, was that I was allergic to chlorine. It made me quite ill at times. My doctor finally ordered that I quit competitive swimming because of course, most pools were laced with chlorine.

Rosie I would of thought your doctor would have just told you to stop drinking the stuff

Thanks all.
June parker eventually lived on Gorsey Lane. Went into a nursing home after husband Billy died. House took off her to pay for keep.
My wife Wendy(maiden name Smith)used to visit her regular.
Was it Charlie Lane?
Remember the canvas cossies that used to come off when you dived in?
I worked there on the refurb. Was that sixties or seventies?
Kev Mc.

Thanks for the lovely memories these photo's bring.
My mum worked there for many years so we spent
a lot of time there.
Joy

Hi all, when i went too Netherton Moss primary school in the fifties, we went to Balliol baths and had a swimming intructor called Miss Barnes, she was so scary (she has been mentioned on friends reunited site ) she would make us jump in the '6ft' I thought i was going to die, i couldn't swim how i made it to the bars on the side i will never know. I plucked up courage in my early twenties and learnt to swim. I took all my three daughters swimming from when they were babies, they progressed onto a swimming club. Did anyone else have that cruel Miss Barnes!!! Still haunts me to this very day, take care everyone, Jenp

Brill pics. It's such a shame they couldn't do something with the old building, rather than just leaving the front

Did anyone ever jump from the upper balcony into the deep end (boys)?
The diving board was 6' high and the water was 6' deep , I certainly hit the bottom and only jumped from it thereafter. Ken

Yes Ken on many occassions but had to wait until the attendant wasn't looking.

After the baths we'd walk down to Felices cafe for a hot drink before hopping the 55 back to Ford. It was a whole day out in those days, there were no sessions you could stay in as long as you liked. Ken

Bernie R wrote:June Parker from Macbeth Street used to work in Balliol Baths - does that ring a bell with anyone?

Bern

June was my dad's cousin, didnt know her married name was Parker, her maiden name was Yardley. She often treated me to a cup of hot chocolate after my swim. regards jeff

kevmc wrote:Thanks all.
June parker eventually lived on Gorsey Lane. Went into a nursing home after husband Billy died. House took off her to pay for keep.
My wife Wendy(maiden name Smith)used to visit her regular.
Was it Charlie Lane?
Remember the canvas cossies that used to come off when you dived in?
I worked there on the refurb. Was that sixties or seventies?
Kev Mc.

I didn't know that happened to aunty June, very sad to hear it, Do you know if she is still alive ? regards Jeff