Margate's 1930s Former Tidal Swimming Pool Listed

The 1930s tidal pool at the west end of Margate Main Sands beach in Kent has been listed at Grade II by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

The man-made pool fills naturally as the tide comes in and was originally designed to give the public easier access to seawater swimming, as at low tide the shoreline can be more than 200 metres away.

Sea-bathing and its apparent health benefits grew in popularity from the 18th century and there was a revival in the activity during the period between the 2 World Wars.

It joins the nearby Walpole Bay tidal pool, already listed at Grade II, on the National Heritage List for England. Margate is thought to be the only town in England home to 2 purpose-built tidal pools from this era.

The Marine Terrace tidal pool sits along the coast from its counterpart tidal pool at Walpole Bay and opposite the Victorian Nayland Rock shelter, where TS Eliot likely composed part of his famous poem 'The Waste Land'.

Margate has a rich collection of important seaside architecture, evidence of its popularity as a visitor destination, as well as its growing population in the early 1900s.

Both tidal pools were built in 1937 and are ambitious feats of structural engineering.

The scale and weight of the concrete blocks used are impressive, especially considering that the work to put them in place would have been carried out throughout the day and night in accordance with the tide.

Today, swimming and diving aren’t permitted as the pool has an uneven depth which constantly changes with the tides. Nearby Walpole Bay tidal pool remains a popular swimming spot for locals and tourists alike.

A brief history of Margate’s sea-bathing culture

Among British seaside towns, Margate stands out as one of the most culturally influential.

Its rich history dates back to the 18th century, when sea-bathing first grew in popularity.

Following the publication of Dr Richard Russell’s The Use of Sea Water in 1753, people from all around the country flocked to the British seaside to partake in the act of sea-bathing and enjoy the coast’s believed health benefits.

Kent’s coastline quickly emerged as a popular destination, with Margate leading the way as the first to offer its visitors innovations such as the world’s first sea-bathing hospital as well as bathing machines with canvas modesty hoods.

These roofed wooden carts on wheels would be rolled into the sea so that sea-bathing etiquette might be followed by ‘respectable’ men and women.

By the 1930s, sea-bathing was still common practice among those seeking to improve their health.

During this interwar period, sea-bathing continued as a popular remedy for a variety of ills, and Margate continued to grow as a seaside town – between 1901 and 1939 the population grew from 26,734 to 36,742.

As structural engineering improved, so did the sea-bathing facilities available.

Although the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital had an indoor seawater pool for use during the winter months, the construction of both tidal pools further increased the sea bathing opportunities and accommodated the large number of visitors.

The 2 new tidal pools were intended to make it possible for large numbers of people to bathe in the sea no matter the tide.

Although positioned at opposite ends of the town, the two pools were designed as a functional pair to improve Margate’s sea-bathing facilities at the peak of the English seaside’s popularity.