Swimming Club

Originally the Swimming Club was the Rolleston Hall Reservoir. Water used to be pumped by a pair of 8hp.gas engines from a 63ft deep well situated beneath the Pumping Station within the Hall Grounds up to the Reservoir and Water Tower from where it gravitated back to the Hall, Stables, gardens and various other buildings and cottages in Rolleston to provide the water supply. A photograph of the Water Tower shows the date of its construction to be around 1913.

A precis of the Reservoir’s transition to a swimming pool is as follows:-

• October 1923 Sir Oswald Mosley sells the Reservoir, Water Tower, Pumping Station and other buildings to Vernon Estates (the latter being the equivalent of today’s property developers), who developed the Hall Grounds properties and gardens basically as we see them today).

• June 1925 Vernon Estates sells to Rolleston Water Company Ltd

• September 1932 Rolleston Water Company Ltd transfers the Water Tower, Well and Pumping Station to South Staffordshire Waterworks Company who then supplied the mains water to Rolleston.

• Feb 1933 Rolleston Water Company Ltd (in voluntary liquidation) convey land and reservoir to the Trustees of Rolleston Swimming Club for the sum of £180. There were three trustees from Rolleston:- Thomas Shercliff of Oak Cottage, Irene Cherry of the Old Hall, Geoffrey Bircher Smith of Fairfield and one from Burton, Raymond Hugh Dunicliffe of 13, High Street.

Hence in 1933 following the foresight of some local residents we have the start of what is today a very popular and treasured asset for members of Rolleston Swimming Club.

Finally in 1987 the Club acquired the freehold of the Water Tower from the South Staffordshire Waterworks Company after they no longer used the Tower to provide gravity for the local water supply.

Today, the Club has around 475 members, such is the demand for membership though, the waiting list for new members has been closed for the last 3 years and is likely to remain so for several more.

The Pool is unheated, emptied twice a year, treated with Snowcem and chlorinated daily. In good summer weather it is a haven of tranquillity much enjoyed by the members.

Trevor Bottrill, Chairman

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