Exploring Aberdeen's Abandoned Swimming Baths 

Thanks for the immediate support on this video. For any Aberdeen locals watching and sharing spots, we have a few more videos filmed with abandoned places in the city, and they will be released in the following months.

Aberdeen council at its finest! Next year you will be able to film abandoned union st

I used to work as a lifeguard there. The mirrored room was a private gym, some of the stuff you didn’t film --on the opposite corridor was a room of old Victorian baths that the staff had to fill for the public-- in the basement was a massive old wooden Victorian laundry dryer and press for the laundry from the Turkish baths on the top floor that had a shoot that came from that third floor all the way down to a basket on wheels that when full fell down a ramp to old washing machines for the staff to wash during the day. You could also walk round the whole inside wall of the basement and look into the pool itself from underwater. Good for underwater lights but also used for synchro swimming judges to watch. In later years the fire brigade also used it for training, filling it with smoke. All the staff loved working there and wish it was still open but Aberdeen city council are shit with money and budgets and decided to close it so they could have lots of smaller pools that are mostly all shut now too. The gym equipment and spin bikes left behind is because the council never kept track of there equipment. Contact me if you want more details for a follow up film

This is so sad, makes my blood boil that the council have let this decay. If it wasn’t for the ‘friends of the pool’ in another local Art Deco swimming pool it would also be flattened 😢

Learned to swim there as a baby in 1954. Went almost every day till The seventies and moved away. Loved it. Can still smell the place and hear the noise. Great great memories

Spent many a happy time there during my childhood! What a waste of a great facility and huge part of Aberdeens history!

I remember thinking I can handle a dive of the 2nd springer. That was until I launched myself to the height of the top board and shat myself as it dawned on me I'd bitten off more than a 12 year old could chew.. The noise of my epic belly flop rang round the arena as I felt the raging pain through my body. All I could do was humbly make my way to the side of the pool as the spectators arched to get a view of this kid who might have ripped his belly open on impact. Great days! 😂

Wow! What a blast from the past. I remember the solar eclipse only 8th birthday (11.08.99) and doing backstroke in the pool while 2 members of staff were on the roof and blocking the main sun light above. I do hope we can save bon accord baths because there is nothing quite like it and I'm sure, like myself, many Aberdonians would ne thrilled to access it again. Just a shame theres nae the odeon next door for a movie after a chippy opposite the baths to finish a good day out!!

My great uncle broke his neck taking a bad dive there back in the 60s. He ended up marrying his nurse! My Granny went as a kid for a wash once a week before they had a shower installed. I was only a kid when the baths shut. Still such a shame to see the baths in such disrepair! So much history in the place. Thanks for a great video guys!

Great coverage guys - really enjoyed your walk-through. Community property like this should NEVER be allowed to be abandoned and get into this state. Shame on the council/local gov.

Loved that pool. After the Beach Baths, we thought it was wonderful! Very sad, yet very beautiful. So very poignant.

We always called them the Uptown Baths. Only 22 but I remember back in the day, going there to swim. It was a unique pool, I was too young at the time to appreciate it, but being able to look back at it through this video as an adult, is very humbling. A great example of architecture that no longer exists today.

fond memories i swam in that pool many times growing uo and alway's after we had dried off we would go upstairs for an orange juice and a steaming hot scotch pie wee hp sauce aww what memories i would love to have it reopened

Wow, this brings back memories. I used to go swimming here when I was a kid with my parents and sister. Was gutted when the city council closed the baths down, as were many other Aberdonians. Good few other abandoned places in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire too check out.

Love this.. Uptown baths is what we called it.. I cried at the start - hearing the familiar noise from the baths, kids playing, echoing, water - some of the best days of our lives.. 🙈.. I still went there for a swim on a sunday aged 17 with friends - after a night on town.. help get rid of our hangovers 😂😂.. My mum had many many trophies from Pro diving.. This is a national treasure.. wish it could've remained for many a kid would love it - it'd be packed even more so these days & loved by many more ! Thanks for covering this..

Great architecture as you pointed out. Hopefully they get the funding they need to save this amazing baths my only worry is the longer it left the less certain it will be saved

Very cool. I went to school nearby and used the pool a few times a month when I was wee, and used the fitness room loads in my late teens / early 20s. Was never brave enough to use the top diving board though! Such a shame the council has allowed this amazing building to get in such a state

Thank you for mKing this video. I arrived in 2000 and lived near by. I went to bon-accord bath regularly for proper swim and fell in love with the building. I was very sad when it closed and destroyed. We don’t have the same grand architecture like this anymore. If the council protected it....

Brings back memories of swimming there as a child. Loved it there. 😥

Fantastic memories of swimming and training in the spartan club for many happy years. This facility should be brought back into service, it is a disgrace the state it is in. So many Aberdeen family’s were brought up with attending the baths. Lovely video, thank you guys for the memories. Also many thanks to a work colleague for telling me about this Mike Cordiner.

Great video guys👍 i used to go every Saturday morning in the 70s. Im sure the changing rooms had curtains earlier on and remember the stink of chlorine in there. I remember having a quick scotch pie upstairs for lunch and when older use to use the turkish baths and freezing cold plunge pool. Good times tho. We need a huge fundraiser to bring some of life back into this building.

Truely devastating to see our much loved baths in such a abandoned state. I used to train twice a week in this pool with the City of Aberdeen Swim Team and also Aberdeen Dolphins swim team. It was the most beautiful building, i can still remember climbing those stairs, we used to do conditioning training up in the studio where the mirrors are, lovely to see that they have been untouched. The pool itself was a nightmare to train in, unless they used the anti turbulence ropes the swell used to make you have to work twice as hard!!! For competitions they had a boom fitted to make it 25m because the pool fell short of 50m! The yearly competition in thr Bon Accord Baths was called The Mitchel Trophy, every club wanted to win that meet!! Thank you so much for sharing this and showing your appreciation for what is an incredible bit of architecture, its sad that our city has let this building down.

Amazing! Such happy memories at the baths. There was a guy that used to hold us breath and sit at the bottom of the deep end and I was in awe of him. Remember a lady asking me as I left the changing room when I was about 8 if there were two loons in there and had no idea what she was asking me! Hope it comes back. Thanks for sharing this

Loved swimming in the Bon Accord baths. The building deserves to be saved.

Went here every weekend as a kid, such a shame that the council let an amazing building go to shit, would have preferred them to be sitting in portacabins instead of giving themselves yet another beautiful building to work from... while the rest of the city turns to shit.

Thank you for sharing. I went to the American School there in the 70's. Your video brings back memories of my time there. I remember my class going there to swim. I really hope someone will restore the pool.

Some good memories there it's where we went for swimming with school and the wonky eyed mannie used to push you under with a pole to make you swim. The cafe had good tasty pies. At one time where the saunas etc were there were baths people without bathrooms in the 40s - 60s who had no bath went there. The council did it up put in the hymn then closed it right away. The community group have been trying to buy it but the council keep putting up barriers. It was great just floating away in the light there.

Spent a lot of time swimming in there in the 80s when I was a child. I remember they tried to update things without really doing much, like the stuff they left behind to rot along with the building. Sad to see so little being done to save this place as it has so much history.

Now that just brought back a wave of emotion's my child hood spent in that building,like so many other aberdonian's.what a waste, i hope there's a good outcome for the uptoon bath's.

My local pool in Elderslie, Renfrewshire was demolished years ago I worked there as a pool attendant for 10 years. Great memories of the staff and customers some who have sadly passed now but I still think back and strongly have many dreams I’m back there. I still have my whistle from when walking around the pool all 32 years later. I so wish I had gotten photographs of it inside before it’s demise.

Bringing back memories. We lived on Holborn street in the flats in front of the college. The flats had no bathrooms in them, just a toilet on the landing that everyone had to share. To get a shower you need to go up to here for it. This was before the council moved us due to college behind us was close to falling down.Definitely on my list to get a look in. Looking forward to your other videos of Aberdeen. Hooked now and rewatching your previous videos

Very good and sympathetic review. Thank you for your excellent work.

I remember learning to swim at the Bon-Accord baths in with my late father and was a member of one of the many swimming clubs that was held there, it has been a great loss to the city , it is also an Olympic sized swimming pool. There was a plan at one point a few years ago to try and purchase the building and to try and ra5the funds to get it back up and running, but looking at your video it will take a fortune to get it back up and Running.

Thanks guys, I'm nearly 60 and have many happy memories as a schoolboy here with family and friends, I remember jumping off the 1st springboard ( springer as we called it ) but I couldn't swim,trying to catch the side of the pool with my hands but over jumped and my chin came down on it,,4 stitches lol,happy times cheers guys !!

Great video, well done guys!👌🏼X

Great filming & done with respect 👍🏻 New sub.👍🏻 Sad to see graffiti & fires 😥 So many happy memories here.. My Mum used to run that original cafe , beneath the look out you were standing. Annie Lennox of Eurythmics used to work there after school, serving pies & drinks. A very quiet girl. Back in the 1970s , it was a great atmosphere, I was taught to swim by a Gordon Highlander soldier called Frankie 🙂🙌🏻 At night , the boiler room man , would let us all swim with the just pool lights on. A magical time ❤ Sad Aberdeen Council get away with tearing heart from the City & leaving this gem to rot. 😥 🐱♏☯️🌌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I am obsessed with your videos, some great finds and you are very respectful which is so nice to see. Please come back to Scotland and find more awesome places like this. Can’t wait for more content.

Thanks for this lovely building hope it can be restored soon. Love the stair rails at 5.58 just so art deco

As usual top quality video lad. The new style of editing and filming is starting to come together very well shown very well in this documentation.

I love this explore guys, my favourite leisure centre you have filmed. I adore the art deco design, so much natural light and those old school hanging lights were awesome. Pity about the graffiti damage in the pool. Thanks for sharing guys, an amazing watch :)

Cool vid guys! Nice bit of architecture, the entrance lobby is gorgeous

Really good video and brings back lots of memories. The plunge pool was so nice and I used to go regularly when I was a student.

Saying that this place closed is very sad because sometimes I walk past it and I want to have a swim there

I live hundreds of miles away from Aberdeen in Truro, Cornwall, but remember going there once in the 1980s. It's just a shame that big swimming pools all over Britain have closed down.

Fantastic coverage guys of what was once a popular social outlet for many Aberdonians. Myself and my 5 siblings were brought up in Aberdeen 50’s-60’s and had many enjoyable times at “the baths” with our pals. It was great to look at it again and recollect many memories. As has been said elsewhere, disgusted that this magnificent building has been left so derelict, shame on those responsible. Thanks fellas.

I remember my sister taking me mid/late 90,s and thinking the place was huge. Nice seeing inside again, sad it’s been left to get in such a mess!

Aww thanks for this video! I used to go swimming here every Thursday with my school pals. So many great memories here ❤️

Thank you for sharing it was a lovely swimming pool 😊

The room with the mirrors was Aberdeen Spartan Club, run by Alec Thompson, and set up by him and Dave Webster in 1950s. Dave went on to start the World Strongest Man competitions that are shown on TV these days. Because of his involvement, Spartan Club has had many massive stars train in it when they were in Aberdeen. People like Jon Paul Sigmarson, Geoff Capes, Bill Kazmier and “Darth Vader”. I was a key holder for the gym and it was kept locked separately from the baths themselves, and this may explain why less vandalism occurred there.

I would visit every weekend if they opened this place up again.

fab video guys thanks for doing this. Centres like this have been killed off by obsessive HSE. When we were children we would go to swimming pools without adults and have loads of fun. Kicked out of the house every Sat afternoon and invariable late home for supper leaving only when the lifeguards checked out fingers and chucked us out. All such fun has been driven out of the experience/ Only the children of well off folks get to go swimming these days.

Another brilliant vid. Awesome location with such an amazing history to it. Really interesting Explore. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for this. I was a regular swimmer there. Still so disappointed it was allowed to get into this state.

I had no idea this massive complex was in the city cheers dude!

I live just up the road from this. Walked past it so many times I’ve lost count. Its criminal that this has been left to ruin. It was, and still could be, the thriving center of a community but it was ripped away from one of us. The council have a lot to answer for, and I’m sure that our community will never forgive them for this. There’s still a lot of anger and hostility about what’s happened, but also a sense of defeat. There were hard fights to keep it open. To rescue it. To restore it. All failed no matter what. They stole from us the center of our community.

oh bro!!! this was amazing great work i love it !!! keep up the great work !!! just wow amazing video

Amazing but so sad to see this building going to waste. Spent many hours swimming there

Excellent explore love reading everyone's comments of there memories there xx

Great Video, Well done x

Used to go swimming here at 6am before work, amazing building, tragedy the way it’s been neglected

Incredible space. I'm a swimmer and would definitely love to swim in there. Well presented. Thanks. Mark

Sakes. I used to swim there back in the day...by which I mean around 1998-2000. Thanks for making me feel old. Great job Aberdeen City Council. Great video!

Many fond memories of swimming there, sad to see it so abandoned.

I used to be here all the time as a kid; great memories, even at the time I thought it was a very special place.

Spent many days as a kid swimming in the pool. Never knew about the plunge pool upstairs. You made mention of the old pool/baths at the beach which I believe are still underground. Don’t know how you get in them though. Thanks for making and sharing this

That place was awesome. Thanks for sharing the explore 😃👍

Well done, - your footage was excellent

Great video, I visited the baths when I lived in Aberdeen. Couldn’t believe it’s been that long since it closed & such a shame to see it in that state now to how i remembered it all those years ago.

Great vid. What a beautiful place.

Happy memories of swimming here as a child with the local school and Aunt and Uncle and cousins on a Sunday morning. It was always busy. Being about a foot short of being Olympic sized it missed out on hosting some major events. I worked here as an adult too, as an Indoor Leisure Officer. Makes me so sad to see the Baths like this but realise it could be a lot worse. I believe the building is still heated to avoid further decay. Hopefully one day she will be a vibrant hub for the community. I wonder if those amazing stone baths are still there. A great video, thank you.

I was in there as a kid every day of the school holidays ,it was packed and full of life . It's a shame it's closed.

In the early 90’s I used to work at a youth centre that was housed in a former baths, after the community space it was in was used for an international sporting event. The children used to love to play football in the empty pool, but no-one wanted to be in the team at the deep end!

From Aberdeen and spent many happy childhood moments at this pool.

I used to go there as a kid absolutely stunning baths back in the day so sad to see it crumbling before our eyes 😢😢 very well documented guys 👏🏻👏🏻

As a child growing up in the late 70's and 80's the Uptown Baths were amazing. It saddens me to see how it is now as it holds so many good memories for me. Used to love having a sausage roll in the cafe after swimming. There was a few urban myths about folk who had dived off the top board only to come a cropper.

These baths are amazing design wise. I swam here a few times in the mid 90s then I completely forgot about these baths until recently. When I decided to look it up online I predicted that it was probably shut because I come to expect that from old, but beautiful swimming pools and I was right. The council should be ashamed

Used to love going here. Used to stay in the pool for hours. As a kid had no idea it had half of the other stuff on offer. Such a shame to see it falling apart

Hi Guys what a absolutely fantastic Art-Deco swimming baths and adjoining rooms within it I especially liked the cream and green tiles bath area it was amazing a truly magnificent Gem to see on looking on the whole most of the building most of it was great shape with hardly no damage only a bit of graffiti and natural decay I just hope it’s stays that way until someone has plan’s to reopen it to it’s former glory well done on presenting historical information 👌😊

I have a lot of Happy memories of this place ❤️😀

I learned to dive there in the 90's and regularly used the baths when at school, would be fantastic to see them saved if at all possiable

We were speaking about this last week and you put this up 😊

5:48 That handrail is so Art Deco 👌🏼

I remember spending about 6 hours in the pool a few days a week during the school holidays

Spent loads of time here as a kid, did a few demos with the Crazy Gang at Galas. Great times, great architecture.

Thank you for taking us on your journey to other abandoned buildings The amount of vandalism that has occurred here its really sad so much history has occurred here but so much neglect Thank you for respecting the places that you visit

This is where I learned to swim in the 80s ❤️

Great explore, what an amazing place. I've stayed in a hotel on the same street, but didn't know about the old baths. Keep up the good work and stay safe.

An amazing video! Wish i knew about some of these types of places in the us.

Nice one guys 😀👍 thank you for showing this lovely Art Deco building. Times have changed but people still love swimming and sports so let's hope this building is bought and modernised before it get vandalised and the decay gets to bad as the pictures shown at the end of what it could look like were very nice . On your way to 20k subscribers 👏 Stay safe 👍🌍☮

Great video. Never had a clue this existed and I’ve probably walked past it a good few times

That was amazing! Such a shame we lost our town baths.

So sad seeing this loved "up town" baths many memories made here including jumping from high board.

Another great video - just one note; the building will be absolutely riddled with asbestos but you should be safe so long as you dont interfere with any of the decay.

I learned to swim here in the 90s as a kid.

Great to see should have been saved from closure same as the beach baths

I'm from New Zealand but my Scottish parents moved us back to Aberdeen for my teenage years. This is the pool my school used. I loved it so much I used to go every day. Met my first boyfriend here. Had my first kiss here. Thirty years on, I'm saddened to see what has become of such a magnificent building.

Was born and brought up in Aberdeen, used to go here every day during school holidays. Still proud of the fact I jumped from the top board when I was 12, really sad to see it in this state.

Places you visit are very interesting... I envy it. Nothing to add anything to put, I invite you to us. 👍

Fantastic seeing my city new subscriber here

I love the history of this place. I wonder if it's a listed building due to having its original foundation stone etc. Urbex Swimming pools sort of freak me out a bit. . I don't know why but the perspective of the empty pools give me the chilllllls