Sponsored by
Must be summat in baths water…
IT'S been the hub of the local community for 100 years.
Heeley Baths first opened it's heavy wooden doors on July 19 1909.
Built complete with slipper bath, douche and Russian baths at a cost of 14,000, its value to the generations of Sheffield people who have used it over the years is incalculable.
The building has changed considerably in recent times.
The old laundry is now a gym and the slipper baths a community centre.
Heeley Baths has been used by countless people, but none more so than Glynn Mettam.
Glynn first took the plunge in his local pool at the age of 10 – and 61 years later you'll still find him there most days.
A former English Schools Champion Glynn, from Gleadless, has been coaching swimmers at the baths for more than 31 years.
In that time he's taught around 60,000 kids to swim.
He's also had a hand in the making of champions, training swimmers who have gone on to national and international level.
And at the age of 71, there's no sign of him chucking in the towel yet.
Glynn, who continues to coach swimmers from Sheffield City Swimming Club has many memories of the old pool.
He recalls the ladies' and gents' slipper baths, the springboard and the stained glass windows at either end of the pool – all long gone in all but memory.
He recalls the pool attendant in wellingtons, the cold showers in the roof which were switched on to cool the place down on hot days, the footbath, Russian steam room, separate entrances and turnstiles for men and women.
The packed school galas, the days when queues for the pool stretched down Broadfield Road, kids in woollen costumes, school swimming lessons with Mr Brooke – no one ever dared to ask his first name – and the freezing cold school room.
He remembers the Red Indian soap which was used to clean the scum channels, and the proper soap, shampoo and even costumes which in those days were all for hire.
"Happy days," says Glynn, "and many great friends."
From his own memories, and after a trawl of the archives, Glynn is helping to put together a memory board at the pool.
It recalls local people who were great swimmers including Yorkshire champions like Keith Dexter, Keith Ward, Rachel Gillat, Brian Clarke, Seth Millington and Maurice Dugdale.
And former schoolboy champion Richard Clarke, who first plunged into the pool at in 1934, recalls: "I trained every lunchtime, five days a week.
"I also went at weekends for pleasure and along with others who had won awards was given a free pass for the pool by the Swimming Association."
Other champions of more recent times who have represented Sheffield City have also added their memories.
They include Han Tee Lee and Oliver Simpson.
Glynn said: "The pool has played a great part in Sheffield history.
"It has been widely used both for fitness, fun and social meetings and still is.
"People will tell you there's really something very special about the place, without being sure exactly what it is."
Maybe there's something in the water.
READ MORE
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
