On 16 January 1909, the first public swimming pool built in Johannesburg was officially opened. Known as the Ellis Park Swimming Pool, a swimming gala was held to mark the occasion. A similar event a few weeks later, however, had to be cancelled when it was discovered that somebody had let all the water out. With a capacity of 500,000 gallons of water, it understandably took a considerable time to refill the pool which became a landmark in this part of Johannesburg. In 1978 a similar event occurred when the pool was 'accidentally' drained a few days before nationals began. In the end the event was held - but in cold water!

The venue for the 1910 South African championships, and many national and international during the 1960s and 70s. The main pool was later heated throughout the winter months, giving Transvaal swimmers a big advantage over other areas with no heated pools. The pool was also the home of the Transvaal ASA.

Ellis Park Lake early 1900s looking East toward Bertrams and Judith’s Paarl. The source of the water was known as the Jukskei River. It ran down to a marshy area (which later became Ellis Park Lake) where Ellis Park Stadium is today. 

Historia 62, 2, November 2017, pp 27-45

Transforming a wasteland to a premium sporting arena: The case of Ellis Park, Johannesburg, 1900s–1930s

 Louis Grundlingh*

The initial incentive was indeed the need for a municipal swimming pool which had been considered from time to time by the council from as early as 1904. The first step towards the “grand vision” was the construction of a swimming bath that would become a central feature. The decision to build the bath was not taken on a whim. By then the council had already received inquiries from numerous sports clubs to lease portions of ground in Ellis Park for tennis and racquet courts, croquet lawns, football grounds, an ice skating rink and an entertainment hall. A Mr Dowsett, of the municipality’s architectural branch and a water “fanatic” was tasked to oversee the building. A bath of 150 feet (45.72 metres) long, 100 feet (30.5 metres) wide and 3 feet 4 in (1 metre) to 7 feet 4 in (2.2 metres) deep was proposed. In July 1908 the council decided to award the tender to Messrs Harper Brothers to build the bath – at that time the largest in South Africa. In line with the notion to develop Ellis Park into a first-class sport venue, the design provided for international competitions. In addition, accommodation for 3 000 people, dressing rooms, a children’s shelter and ticket office were built. The Rand Daily Mail journalist could write: “The glittering tiles have almost obscured for ever the bottom of what was once Johannesburg’s first reservoir for the town’s drink.”

On Saturday 16 January 1909, the first public swimming bath in Johannesburg was inaugurated with a grand gala. The Sunday Times reported: The best three hours of aquatic sport [that] Johannesburg has yet experienced were enjoyed by over 2 000 people … For the first time the general public had an opportunity of seeing what has been done for them … The trees and seats which run around two sides of the water were crowded with visitors of both sexes, the threat of rain being insufficient to keep them away from the prospect of sport … The bath itself is certainly the most adequate structure of its kind in the subcontinent for races … it seems pretty certain that there will be no lack of public support for fixtures as that of yesterday. Within three years this prediction proved to be spot-on. The popularity of the bath was evident: “There are glad tidings for a long-suffering public. The swimming baths in Ellis Park are to be opened again for the summer season on Saturday, and preparations are being made for dealing with a rush. Cheap tickets, open hours from 6 am to 9 pm during summer months and easy access using the tram system, boosted the popularity of the pool.

For the Transvaal Amateur Swimming Association (TASA) the bath met all its requirements for a swimming tournament. Hence it applied to hold the Currie Cup (swimming tournament) on February 1910. The town council duly approved the application, provided the TASA paid the council 7½ percent of the total receipts from the sale of tickets. It was soon apparent that the facilities provided in 1909 were inadequate. Minor additional facilities were added during the 1910s. In 1912 a stand to accommodate 800 spectators was erected at the north side of the park. It was seen as an important addition and welcomed “as a boon to the public … who throng to the baths as sightseers on Saturdays and Sundays …”.  It also served as a shelter for the swimming bath against dust during the dust storm season.

The Ellis Park swimming pool complex (or ‘baths’ as the colonialists called it) was a hit, and in 1912 it needed to be upgraded and expanded. Ellis Park was gradually getting the trimmings of a proper sporting venue. The 1920s and 1930s, however, saw more substantial additional developments at the bath, inter alia a three-storeyed building with 98 new dressing booths as well as a tea servery on the lawns. The main pool was later heated throughout the winter months, giving Transvaal swimmers a big advantage over other areas without heated pools. The swimming bath indeed fulfilled the prophecy in the mayor’s minute of 1909 that it would prove to be “a distinct boon to the city”.  Galen Cranz’s remark that “swimming pools [in the USA] were more popular than any other single facility”,  was certainly true in the case of Ellis Park.

The Currie Cup is named after its donor, the philanthropist, Sir Donald Currie of the Union Castle Shipping Line. It was originally an inter-club trophy for the water polo championships in Cape Town. Later similar trophies for swimming, rugby football and tennis were donated.

In 1938, additional facilities were added: a sunbathing porch, a special pool of 15 feet depth for high-divers, and a paddling pool.

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Several factors influence the aquatic sports culture of a society. These include the social norms of the ruling class (who decide where to spend public money) and the type of places and facilities available. The location construction and maintenance of facilities are linked to the cultural norms of a society while the moral norms of a society dictate how it views sports and how much of the communal resource a society devotes to particular activities.

In southern Africa, these norms were expressed by the Europeans introducing aquatic sports in the oceans and constructing dams, tidal pools, swimming pools and other structures. As public social spaces, swimming baths were physical manifestations of municipal grandeur and pride of the city. Indeed, the swimming bath, as a building type, was a cultural and architectural artefact to be celebrated. Read more about this from Louis Grundlingh