St Clair Baths

Built by the Caversham Borough Council around 1880, the St Clair Baths were officially opened on 13 December 1884 by the Dunedin City Council. Similar facilities were also located at Pelichet Bay, providing bathing amenities for residents in both the northern and southern parts of the city. At the time, sea-water bathing was widely valued for its health and hygiene benefits and was strongly promoted by medical professionals.

The baths were originally created by excavating a natural depression in the rocks. To improve the facility, the Dunedin City Council contributed £300 to enlarge the pools in both length and depth and to construct a small dressing shed. Situated away from the area’s dangerous sea currents, the baths benefited from a natural supply of seawater as the tide washed over the pool edges. The baths quickly became a popular attraction, with a tram service operating during the summer months to transport visitors from the city to St Clair. Their popularity soon led to overcrowding, and many prospective bathers were regularly turned away.

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  Original St Clair Baths (c.1880), DCC Archives

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  St Clair Beach and Baths, 1908, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie studio. Te Papa (O.001820)

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  St Clair Baths, Dunedin, 1907, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie studio. Te Papa (O.001809)

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  St Clair Public Baths Bylaws, DCC Archives

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  St Clair baths, Dunedin. Tourist and Publicity. Ref: 1/1-006174-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Welli

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  St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool c.1975, DCC Archives

Swimming at the baths was strictly segregated by gender. Women had exclusive use of the baths from 11.00 am to 3.00 pm, Monday to Saturday, while men were permitted access from 5.00 am to 10.00 am and from 3.15 pm to 9.00 pm on weekdays, as well as from 6.00 am until sunset on Sundays. For a period, the Ocean Beach Domain Board also prohibited swimming anywhere along the beach outside the baths’ enclosure.

While the seaside location provided a constant supply of fresh seawater, it also left the baths vulnerable to the forces of nature. During high tides, the pools often became unusable, while rough seas could make access hazardous. In 1898, severe storms caused extensive damage throughout the area. The sea breached the sandhills, undermined the foundations of the bath-keeper’s residence, and heavily damaged the pools. Large quantities of sand were deposited in the baths, and a substantial breach in the concrete wall allowed water to escape.

In 1913, the Dunedin City Council purchased the St Clair Baths from the Ocean Beach Domain Board for £350 and allocated additional funds for long-overdue improvements. Initial works included repairing and raising the concrete retaining wall, elevating the surrounding platform, and installing a handrail at the water’s edge. Further upgrades were approved in 1923, including the construction of a massage room and a new brick caretaker’s residence. Additional pumping equipment, a coal chute, further seawall construction, land reclamation, and new fencing also formed part of the redevelopment programme. The seawall was raised again in 1936 to provide additional protection from the sea.

The Dunedin City Council continued to operate the baths until 1941, when declining patronage and the deteriorating condition of the facilities led to their closure. Although a number of redevelopment proposals were put forward in the following decades, meaningful progress did not occur until 1966, when plans were approved for a modern heated salt-water swimming pool. The redevelopment retained the baths’ open-air character while introducing heating, chlorination, filtration systems, shower facilities, changing rooms, and spectator seating. Construction was completed in 1968, and the new facility was subsequently opened to the public.

We are most grateful to Prue Milbank for this post.