Stonehaven Open Air Pool is situated in the town of Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen.  I have been to the pool many times before my recent visit, as my father grew up in the town, and we used to go as children.  I met with David Dobbie, a very committed member of the Friends of the Stonehaven Open Air Pool, and some other members, who were incredibly helpful and generous with their time – telling me anything I wanted to know about the pool and its history.

Stonehaven Open Air Pool is one of the two functioning open air swimming pools in Scotland; the other being the Gourock Outdoor Pool. Tarlair pool in Macduff, Banff is also in the process of being renovated, and I hope to visit there in the Autumn time.

The Stonehaven Open Air Pool is currently co-managed by Aberdeenshire Council and the Friends of Stonehaven Open Air Pool. It is open 14 weeks of the year – from late May to the first week in September.

The open air pool was designed by architects Gregory and Gall in 1934, after the town voted in 1933 to develop an open air pool, with the intention of consolidating Stonehaven as a prime holiday resort on the North East Coast of Scotland.  The main contractors were William Tawse Ltd of Aberdeen, who undertook the construction mainly in concrete, with assistance of local sub-contractors.  As part of the councils research at the time, they took prepatory visits to open air pools in Troon and Prestwick, both of which are now closed.

When the Stonehaven pool first opened in 1934, it was filled with 320,000 gallons of filtered sea-water.  The pool opened on the 2nd June 1934, and in the first year the attendance figures were 62,263, many of which were spectators. The pool held weekly galas full of exciting diving and performances, which were more for family entertainment than exercise.

In 1935, a heating system was installed. One of the concerns about the pool at the time were that swimmers would stay for 6-7 hours at a time.  At this time, most people would only bathe at home in a tub filled with water, so a large pool of heated water must have been a very attractive way to spend your time!

The pool was closed temporarily at the outbreak of World War II, but then the council decided to open it for shorter periods of time and heat it for shorter hours – as they decided the pool was good for the community’s morale. Cheaper ticket prices were given to members of the armed forces – many British and Polish troops were stationed locally.  The pool reopened properly on August 10th 1945, with a diving gala.

From the 1950s -1970s, there was midnight swimming on a Saturday evening at the pool. This was reintroduced in the 1990s and is still offered on a mid-week evening. I would like to try it some time!  They also currently offer an Aqua Ceilidh, as part of the Stonehaven Folk Festival in July, where you can join in dances like Splashing White Sergeant.

In 1996, the pool was threatened with closure by the local council due to low attendance and the cost of maintenance. The late Alan Bain chaired a meeting of people who intended to fight against this closure, and the Friends of The Midland was formed. Amazingly, through perseverance, they managed to make an agreement with the local council that the Friends would be responsible for providing the labour to carry out all maintenance at the Pool, and in 2000 this became a formal partnership with Aberdeenshire Council.

Over the years, the Friends, who are all volunteers who are incredibly generous with their time, carry out all maintenance, such as painting all areas internally and externally, cleaning the pool and interiors, gardening and fundraising to maintain the pool and develop it.  The Chairman, Alan Bain, who spearheaded the campaign, sadly passed away and the Bandstand within the pool was named the Alan Bain Memorial Bandstand in honour for all is hard work and perseverance to keep the pool open.

In 2009, the Friends also fund raised to build a large paddling pool within the walls of the pool area.  I was blown away by the commitment of the volunteers that I met, and how their dedication allows such a wonderful unique space and resource to remain open to the community.  David Dobbie told me that the Friends had a core group of twenty to thirty volunteers who give up approximately a day a week for the pool – this year they amassed 5000 volunteer hours.  Another very significant member, is Alex Nicoll, who lead the 75th anniversary celebrations and led maintenance work for many years.

The Friends that I met on my visit were very generous with their time and knowledge. We talked about the history of the pool, and its future – being able to provide a 21st holiday experience, but also maintaining the character of the pool.

The majority of the volunteers are (early) retirement age onwards. A lot of the work is very physical, and we spoke about the fact that they would be very keen to recruit new volunteers, of any age, but in particular younger people who may have an understanding of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and so on. They are also keen to recruit any new Friends that have experience of applying for Grants and other public funding.  If you are interested, you can read more about how you get can involved here.

Similarly, they are always keen for any businesses of organisations to sponsor the pool. You can do this by sponsoring a swim week or midnight swim. For more information, please visit the Friends page here.

I would encourage you to visit the pool wholeheartedly, there is only one week left this season!

Visitor Information for Stonehaven Open Air Pool