What remains of Roundhay Park’s 'open air swimming pool' that once attracted Leeds United players

More than 100,000 people visited the open air swimming pool at Roundhay Park during the summer in the 1950s and 1960s.

“In the 60s it used to attract Leeds United players so people would go knowing that they were there,” recalled former pool user Chris White who says the player he remembers the most poolside was Whites legend Bobby Collins. “He had a smashing tan and he always had a smile on his face.”

He added: "On a hot day sometimes you had to wait half an hour to get in because it was so popular.”

It originally opened in June 1907 at a cost of cost £1,657. It was built by the unemployed as part of a public works project and boasted stepped sides, a springboard, changing huts and a children's paddling pool. The pool was chlorinated - there was a filtration hut nearby - but never heated and was notoriously chilly. It was initially popular, but fell into decline and disrepair until 1937, when it was restored and rejuvenated. The pool's usage declined again, and by the late 1980s it had shut and the area was later cleared - although remnants of the structure were visible until the early 2000s. To find out more about Roundhay Park’s open air swimming pool watch the YEP’s video on its rich history and heritage.

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