The old Olympia pool in Dundee was used by generations of swimmers after being built on the city’s waterfront in 1974.
More than 175,000 swimmers hit the pool in its first three months alone.
Meanwhile, the old Olympia held a number of international swimming competitions that helped put Dundee on the map.
Better yet, constant redevelopments at the multi-million-pound site meant the crowds would only continue to swell.
In 1987, the city council signed off on the £500,000 addition of new waterslides and, within four hours of completion, 1,000 revellers had already rocketed through the new flumes called Red Rocket, Blue Bomber, Green Glider and the Cannonball.
Who can forget the new-age wave machine, rapids and diving boards?
People will also fondly remember the old Olympia café and some later developments, such as a £30,000 climbing wall, were a huge hit, too.
But let’s go back to the very start.
History of the old Olympia
Swimming baths were an integral part of Dundee’s dockland for 165 years.
A committee was formed in 1844 to raise money for the creation of public baths which opened in 1848 and became an immediate success.
Swimming facilities were added later in 1873.
Between 1908 and 1910 the facilities were upgraded at a cost of £10,000 and the baths were the first in the country to open on Sundays, albeit only between 6.30 and 9am.
After the Second World War eight hours of bathing on the Sabbath became the norm.
By the time the Tay Road Bridge was built in August 1966 the old pool was too small to keep up with demand and new baths were needed.
It was decided to keep the new pool near the site of the old one which occupied the ground that would later become the city’s waterfront Hilton.
Original plans for a larger complex
Sarah Aitken, assistant archivist at Dundee City Archives, said architects were invited to submit plans which included some very ambitious designs.
“After considering some of the options the Baths sub-committee did make some recommendations, including that there should be no underwater windows in the new pool,” she said.
“Sadly the rejected plans don’t survive but I’d really like to see the ones with an underwater viewing area – it would have been like watching penguins at the zoo!”
Plans submitted by James Parr & Partners in 1971 were approved after much deliberation and work started shortly afterwards.
The pool was originally meant to be part of a larger leisure complex on the waterfront, including a cinema, theatre and conference facilities.
In the end however only the swimming pool and Tayside House were built.
Sarah said: “Whereas the old swimming baths had been built to help Dundonians keep clean and fit, the new swimming pool was designed as more of a leisure activity.
“People had running water at home so the need for communal baths no longer existed.
“In the post-war era people generally had more disposable income so could afford to do activities like swimming for fun more often.”
New pool name was debated
Construction of the pool complex was delayed by national shortages and distribution problems with materials and manpower.
The name of the new pool was yet to be decided.
Sarah said: “The Baths was too old fashioned.
“Some suggested naming it after the ferries.
“Abercraig Baths was mooted, but that was no good either.
“Instead the snappy title of the Dundee Swimming and Leisure Centre was chosen, with the pool itself being called the Tayside International Pool.
“By naming it the Tayside International Pool you can see that Tayside Regional Council was hoping to get attention from more than just locals.
“The inclusion of training pool and banks of seats shows that this was ready to host competitions as well as leisure time.”
The Tayside International Pool opened its doors for the first time on July 15 1974 with entry 15p for adults and 10p for children.
Towel hire was 5p plus a deposit of 25p.
In the 1980s it was joined by the Earl Grey Stakis Hotel, which later became the Dundee Hilton.
What slide would you go on first?
It was later rebranded as the Olympia when the pool was refurbished to fit in with the new mural of Hermes and Neptune in the stormy River Tay.
Sarah said: “The leisure aspect can be clearly seen by the alterations made in the 1980s and 1990s – the addition of the slides and the rapids.
“Of course, the Olympia was a draw to more than just Dundonians.
“I remember making many trips over from Fife to go swimming at the Olympia.
“The big decision was which slide you were going to go on first – blue or green.
“Personally, I was never brave enough to go on the yellow cannonball.
“You also had to make sure you timed your slide correctly or you would miss the wave machine.”
By the dawn of the 21st century the Olympia’s days were numbered.
A small upgrade was completed in 2004 to keep it going until a new facility could be opened.
But all good things come to an end and, in 2010, it was finally agreed that the old facilities were due a replacement.
In keeping with the original building’s design, Dundee City Council approved an equally ambitious project that would give birth to yet another facility to be proud of.
The Olympia was closed in July 2013 when the new pool was completed.
The demolition process started in September, when contractors removed excess metal and wiring from the iconic building.
Then, in October, the footbridge leading to the pool was chomped away by diggers.
The pedestrian walkway was cut into chunks, and then carried away by cranes, clearing space for heavy machinery to start work on the main structure.
Asbestos removal was a massive job from inside the old Olympia’s walls, but it was safely carried out without any hitches.
Dawn of a new era for swimming
The building was a mixture of steel, pre-cast concrete and reinforced institutional concrete encasing formidable steel beams, and a 90-tonne machine was needed in January 2014 to take away the inner floors.
Despite its solid and sturdy build, the demolition team managed the massive project with few hitches.
The biggest and most dramatic problem they encountered was part of the roof falling away unexpectedly, throwing up clouds of dust over the city’s waterfront.
Dundee’s new Olympia pool proved extremely popular after opening at East Whale Lane with 450,000 people through its doors in the first year.
Boasting a 50m pool, wave pool, rapid river, four flumes, dive pool, activity pool and café, the £13m centre was initially a successful replacement for its predecessor.
But things slowly started to go downhill.
The pools shut last October after a lighting issue was identified, but much more significant work is now needed at the facility.
The swimming pools are set to stay shut until October 2023 for major repairs.
But happy memories remain of the glory days of the old Olympia.
No matter what colour your favourite slide was.
