Victoria Embankment (21177395802)

In July 1875 the 'Floating Swimming Bath Company' opened its first floating swimming bath on the River Thames just upstream of Hungerford Bridge. It was built by the Thames Ironworks company at Blackwall and was 135 feet long and 25 feet wide, the depth of the water was from 3 feet to 7 feet at the deep end. The water came from the river and was filtered before being aerated by two fountains situated beneath the domes, it was also heated. The total amount of water used at any one time was 150,000 gallons, the bath could be filled in six hours, the entrance charge was one shilling. The bath was not used during the winter months and the owners applied and were granted permission by the Board of works to install refrigeration machinery and turn the bath into a 'Glaciarium' which was Victorian for a skating rink. The enterprise was very popular throughout the year but appears to have disappeared from the Thames during the mid 1880s.