Swimming in Roath Park Lake was once a very popular activity enjoyed by hundreds of Cardiff residents every week during summer. In 1898, the Council employed a ‘swimming expert’ who was paid 26 shillings per week to supervise swimmers in the lake. Later, this role changed to ‘Life Saving Attendant’, the equivalent of a modern-day lifeguard.
The bathing stage was built in 1900 and a diving board installed for swimmers to enjoy.
Although so many people swam in the lake, there were no changing rooms or places to leave clothes. In 1901 it was reported that swimmers getting changed were causing offence to passing cyclists. After much discussion, 100 Laurel shrubs were bought to plant as a screen for the bathing stage in 1905.
In the summer of 1907, there were often over 500 swimmers per day. Swimming was allowed from 6am until 9am every day, and people were required to wear ‘proper bathing dresses’. In 1908, 63 ‘dressing boxes’ were built, which swimmers could use for a fee of 1 old penny.
The continued popularity of swimming in the lake led to the need for rules and regulations for swimming, and bathing costumes being provided for hire. Evening swimming was also introduced in 1909. People came from all over the city to swim, and there would be numerous rows of bikes lined up along the footpaths.
It wasn’t until June 1911 that mixed swimming was allowed in the lake. Men were not allowed to land on the area of the bathing stage in front of the women’s dressing boxes and vice versa. In the especially warm summer of 1911, the Parks Superintendent W. W. Pettigrew reported that more than 44,000 swimmers had gone through the turnstiles at the bathing stage. In the following years, the numbers of swimmers kept increasing, although this varied hugely depending on the weather.
