Significant progress made in Health Hydro restoration

The first phase of the £8.6m Health Hydro restoration work is expected to be complete by end of the year.

Two years on from its closure, work is well underway to bring Swindon's historic Health Hydro back to its former glory.

Although the £8.6m restoration project is taking longer than originally anticipated, there is light at the end of the tunnel, with this important first phase of restoration due to be completed by the end of the year. It is anticipated the pool will reopen to the public in early 2026 after a period of fit-out by leisure operators GLL.

Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, said: “Like many residents, I am desperate to see this beautiful building reopened to the public. The Health Hydro is a nationally significant heritage site and the story it embodies of workers self-organising to provide services to their community is one that should make all Swindonians proud.

“The Health Hydro is a Grade II* listed building that also has a lot of engineering complexity, so while I am as disappointed as everyone else that the refurbishment is taking longer than originally planned, it’s important that the work is done thoroughly and with care and attention. We’re working closely with Beard, the construction company for the project, and Fourth Street, our lead consultant, to make sure we’re doing the right things for this historic building.

“When the Health Hydro does reopen, I know it will be welcomed by the Swindon community and I look forward to everyone being able to enjoy the work so far.”

Since the closure, works have been progressing to make the site safe and to refurbish the former Washing Baths Hall, changing rooms and plant areas. Once complete, the first phase of works will create an accessible route through to the newly-restored changing rooms and the impressive main pool hall, which houses the 33m-long pool (the longest in Wiltshire).

Due to the age of the Grade II* listed building, investigations – which were only possible after the building had been closed to the public – have revealed a series of challenges which have had to be overcome by redesign, with careful consideration given to the best approach to respect the building’s heritage. The carefully controlled removal of asbestos to make sure the building is safe for future use has also added time to the programme.

Additional money has been made available through a grant from Historic England, reallocated government Towns Fund money and S106 funding from developers, to ensure the first phase of works is completed and the site reopened as soon as possible. The total funding for the scheme is now £8.6m rather than the initial £6.5m which was provided by the Towns Fund and the Council.

With the funding, the first phase includes:

• the repair and conservation of a section of the building’s façade on Faringdon Road
• roof and valley gutter repairs
• the conversion of the former Washing Baths Hall into a new entrance and reception area, gym and fitness suite
• new accessible changing facilities
• new plant areas to accommodate all future needs of the building
• new heating and filtration systems for the large swimming pool
• new ventilation systems to service the gym, changing areas and pool hall
• new heater for the Turkish Baths
• upgraded electrical supply to service the entire building

Progress is also being made on developing the next phase of works, which will focus on restoring the main pool hall. The Council is currently applying to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for further grant funding to support this phase. Should this be successful, some areas of the Health Hydro, including the main pool hall, will likely need to close again in the future to allow for further improvements to take place.

More news on the outcome of that funding application is expected in early 2026. The restoration is being carried out in phases as funding is progressively secured, to realise the overall vision for this historically significant building.