Info on Leeds International Pool
Leeds The images
and , some words with background to our visits of 5th and 7th 08 08 withdan, zontar, monkey boy, stig of sheffield,
and the ghost of swimmers past, thanks to L.U.E:
Flickr Slideshow
Such a crass waste of a building, what the cost to clear and repair, bring up to date? what cost to ensure people like us can not just enter, we might have been some of those people who have trashed this place, yes i did see the crack pipes full of bread..
I was in awe and fear of this place, stood there rooted to the spot my first time, what must it be like if you have swam there to see her is this state.
Swimming is generally recognised as one of the best ‘all-round’ forms of exercise and can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of their age or ability.
There are 18 swimming pools in Leeds run by the sport and active recreation service. Contact details and facilities available are detailed below. For individual swimming pool timetables, opening times or alternative contact details (email and fax numbers) please use the relevant page links on this page.
Swimming lessons are available at all the following pools. Water babies is the first of our swimming lessons for children from 4 months to 3 years old. Water babies classes are designed for both parents/adults and their babies to give them a safe and enjoyable first experience of the swimming pool.
Children’s swimming lessons are run on a school term basis and must be booked and paid for in advance. Holiday swimming lesson courses are also run during the main school holidays.
Adult lessons are usually on a session basis. For more information on swimming lessons please contact your local leisure centre.
The International Pool was designed by the architect John Poulson and was completed in September 1967.
The building was an innovative design incorporating sharp concrete lines and large expanses of glazing within a lightweight framework of steel. The building s a dramatic building, strongly geometric, uncompromising in character, and a landmark for the city. These attributes are offset by its harsh concrete and inhospitable external spaces, its value as a piece of Leeds 1960’s architecture is second to none.
The International pool has never lived up to it's full potential over the years. Originally the Pool would be built to Olympic standards. However, in order to cut costs, Poulson was asked to reduce the width of the tank in his design.
It was the decision of the Council to reduce the design width of the pool which led to rumours that the pool was not big enough for competitions, a myth which has been chinese-whispered into a number of variations, the most prevalent, but incorrect, being the pool was 1 inch to short when the tiles were added.
Unlike many of Poulsons buildings, The Leeds International pool showed considerable design flair and imagination. Even today, after years of neglect, the Pool hall itself is a stunning space. The building won a national Civic Trust award in 1969. The diving board is a spectacular work of art with 3, 5, 7 and 10m boards 1 and 3m springboards.
The aim of these images is just to show a crass waist of a resource, when we are hosting for the Olympics of 2012.
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Image courtesy of Leeds City Council/OSA With it's bold 1960s styling, Leeds International Pool has been loved and loathed by local people in equal measure, but now, prior to a major redevelopment, it is to be transformed into an iconic temporary artwork. |
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The pool has been a controversial building and an integral part of the cityscape of Leeds for the past four decades; now the disused sports complex is to become the site of an ambitious installation created by acclaimed international artists and architects OSA (Office for Subversive Architecture). OSA are hosting The Accumulator, which will transform the building into a virtual water collector via a huge textile funnel in the building’s central glazed roof space. Visitors will be able to walk around the dry pool floor and sit on red seating dotted about from the former public viewing areas to take a look at the installation from the inside. It will also be illuminated at night. Leeds artist Pippa Hale will contribute an installation called Pool which includes a series of projections showing people engaged in a range of activities associated with the building, from learning to swim to taking a bath. Her work is designed as a celebration of the building and the different communities that have used it over the years. For Leeds council, who are backing both of the artworks, the project is a way of raising the city’s profile on the international stage. “Leeds is an international city capable of attracting the best international talent and the OSA collaboration certainly demonstrates that, ably supported by one of our best local artists,” said Cllr Andrew Carter, Leeds City Council Leader and executive member for Development. “If we are to be a serious player on the international stage we must make bold statements like this which prove we can compete with other major European cities- not only in business, tourism and sport but also the arts and other public arenas.” |
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The Accumulator, photo © Phil Day, 2008. |
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Read a good history and view more images here from phill
See the rest of our images here