Pool of Memories is an exciting new theatre-in–education programme for 9 – 11 year olds.  The programme is part of a larger Heritage Lottery funded project which has collected together anecdotes, experiences and artefacts from those who have used and worked in the pools and it’s washing baths since its opening in 1907.  These oral histories have formed the basis for Pool of Memories and many of the moments that appear in the programme are drawn from real life people and events.

The stories that have been gathered serve as a potent reminder that the pool is worth more than simply the sum total of its (albeit beautiful) parts.  They stand as testimony to the heritage of the pool as a place of personal, local and national worth.

By inviting children to both experience and participate in these stories and by posing to them questions of what we preserve for the future and how and why we maintain historical buildings such as the baths, they are engaged in learning about history and society as well as being encouraged to reflect upon community, rights and responsibilities.

Deborah Hull
Artistic and Educational Director