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Portobello outdoor pool and power station
Unknown, 1974, Photograph
Portobello outdoor pool and power station
Portobello outdoor pool and power station
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Related
Location
Category
Library Item
Item no
4323
Title
Portobello outdoor pool and power station
Description
An aerial view of Portobello Outdoor Pool and Power Station, Edinburgh. The tall chimney and buildings of the power station dwarf the white Art Deco facade of the pool. Portobello Beach can be seen in the foreground.
Artist / maker
Unknown
Date
1974
Size
19.7 x 24.5 cm
Type
Photograph
Location
Edinburgh and Scottish Collection
Portobello Power Station stood at the junction of Kings Road and Portobello High Street. The first plans for its construction were made in 1913 but were substantially delayed by the First World War. The first stage of the power station eventually opened by George V in 1923. From 1936 the power station served to heat the water of the adjacent outdoor swimming pool. Its large distinctive chimney was added in 1939. The building was demolished in the late 1970's.
Portobello's outdoor swimming pool was opened in 1936. It was equipped with diving boards and a wave machine, and was open between May and September. The pool's proximity to a power station gave it access to heated water, but also meant that it had to be covered for the duration of World War II to prevent it being used as a marker by German bombers. The actor Sean Connery served as a Portobello lifeguard in the post war period. The pool was closed in 1979, not long after the power station, and the area is now used for five-a-side football.
Exhibitions with this item
Images of Portobello
Edinburgh Swimming Pools
Other views of this item
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Related subjects
Landscape
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Land
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Coastlines
Manufacturing Industry
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Manufacturing facilities
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Power stations
Places
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Edinburgh areas
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Portobello
Places
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Scotland
>
Edinburgh
Sport and leisure
>
Sports and recreation facilities
>
Swimming pools
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