IT WAS the familiar city landmark that was hoped would put Southampton on the swimming map.

Southampton’s old Central Swimming Baths were enjoyed by many over the decades – from its opening exactly 52 years ago, right through to its final offerings as Centre 2000 with its exciting flume rides.

More than 1,000 eager swimmers and guests arrived at the baths on Saturday, March 24, in 1962 to watch the mayor, Alderman Mrs Gladys Barker, presented with a silver key to officially open the new £500,000 indoor pools on Western Esplanade.

The opening ceremony continued inside the entrance hall as the mayor, under the watchful gaze of other civic dignitaries, unveiled a commemorative plaque before local international diving star Tony Kitcher christened the pool with a splash after completing a one-andhalf somersault dive with full twist from the diving platform.

The new and modern baths had many exciting features but perhaps the most striking was the one that confronted you as soon as you walked in through the turnstiles.

Seven glass windows, each 1½ inches thick and withstanding a pressure of 5,000lb, lined the entrance hall and gave visitors a unique “aquarium”

view of the swimmers inside the pool from below the surface – something that no other pool in the country could offer at the time.

These fish eye viewing panels were positioned under the Olympic size diving tower and gave visitors a tantalising taste of what to expect once they got to the pool, as they watched divers plunge into the water under a wash of bubbles.

It was hoped that the new pool, which was slightly increased in size on the previous central baths, would attract all swimming and games up to international standard as Southampton was one of only four places in the country that could offer such facilities.

The new baths enjoyed tremendous success during the first years of its opening.

Final attendance figures for 1962-63 showed that 461,213 people attended, which was well over 80,000 more than those involved had originally anticipated.