History

Rhyl Journal - 24th August 1935

how we started

The first organised swimming club in Rhyl was founded in 1896. A swimming pontoon and dressing rooms were installed at the newly created Marine Lake, in the West End of Rhyl.

In 1905, the indoor baths were opened on Sussex Street in Rhyl and the Club was relocated to there. These baths were still in existence and housing the indoor market, situated between Sussex Street and Market Street. Only until recent years, it was demolished to make way for the construction of Wilkinson & Peacocks.

The 1930's is when the Club relocated again but this time to the open air pool, on the East Parade. This pool was 110 yards long (100m) and 23 1/3 yards wide (21m) and could accommodate large numbers of swimmers and 2,500 spectators.

The membership of the Club during that time, frequently exceeded 1,000 during the summer months.

The water polo team and keener swimmers remained loyal to the indoor pool, until it closed for the duration of hostilities of WWII from 1939 to 1945. During this time the indoor pool was used for the storage of food and shelter supplies (amongst other war supplies) for the Royal Artillery, that was stationed at Kinmel Camp in Bodelwyddan.

During WWII the building the housed the pool, deteriorated badly and in 1946, the water supply pipe (from the sea and running underneath the Queens Hotel) was found to be badly corroded. The baths were filled in and the building converted into a market. Thus the town lost a unique pool - heated salt water, easy to swim in and found to be conducive to achieving "fast times".

The Club was re-formed in 1946 and operated from May until September (weather permitting), in the open air pool. Nearly 30 years later, it relocated for the third time to the sports centre on Grange road; where the Club has continued to run ever since.