I have been swimming here for fifteen years

Opened in 1970, Beechdale Swimming Baths in Nottingham was replaced by Harvey Hadden Sports Centre in August 2015. Designed by council employed city architect David Jenkin in the mid-1960s, the building is an example of the ambitious public architecture of the time, now often despised by the public. I have been swimming at Beechdale for the last 15 years, seeing it slowly decline while it remained busy and popular. When in the water, the light was often spectacular flooding through the large windows and casting shadows on the pool floor. Throughout the rest of the building, one could see the generosity with which the facilities had been planned. The photographs presented here capture the original design, as if it was photographed for the opening day brochure. But they document the traces that people have left through use and modifications over the short life time of the building and they show the people who worked at Beechdale Baths.