Out of all the buildings in Wrexham, the swimming baths on Holt Street have always been my favourite.
As a kid, I went there all the time. I was obsessed—not just with the swimming, but with the building itself. Even then, I was captivated by its bold design.
The sweeping curve of the roof reminded me of a diver caught mid-air, or the arc of a swimmer’s arms doing the butterfly stroke. It was dramatic, futuristic, and strangely beautiful.
Now, decades on, the building is still standing proud. A bit more worn around the edges, sure—but it’s still one of Wrexham’s most admired landmarks. Locals love it, and so do people like me, who grew up with it as part of their everyday lives.
Wrexham swimming baths first opened in 1970 and were famously described at the time as “hyperbolic, parabolic and diabolic.” The star of the show is the roof—a hyperbolic paraboloid structure, and one of only two of its kind in Europe. It’s a feat of architecture, even if the architect behind it remains something of a mystery (I’ve yet to find a name, but I’m still searching!).
The baths underwent a £4.1 million refurbishment in 1997, preserving its unique design while bringing the facilities up to date. While not everything from the original era has remained untouched, the spirit of the building is still very much alive.
Before this building, Wrexham’s first proper public swimming baths were on Tuttle Street. Many people still remember them fondly, especially for their eco-forward heating system—where heat from the town’s incinerator was used to warm the water. Pretty advanced thinking for the time.
Wrexham’s swimming history is rich, and the Holt Street baths remain a key part of it. For me, the building represents more than a place to swim. It’s nostalgia, design, memory, and community all rolled into one striking roofline.
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