Architects have unveiled their vision for a swimming pool in the Thames.
They believe the river will be clean enough for leisure use once Thames Water’s proposed supersewer is completed in 2023.
The idea, encouraged by the growing popularity of “free swimming” in landmarks such as the Serpentine and Hampstead ponds, is being revealed at a London As It Could Be Now exhibition at the Royal Academy.
It is inspired by the popularity of the Thames as a swimming destination after the arrival in the capital of the first sewers.
When Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s sewer was completed in 1875, floating baths opened at Charing Cross.
Now Studio Octopi architects have suggested “reclaiming” part of the river beside Blackfriars bridge to create a floating 25m pool and plunge pool within the river, with floating pools on wooden and steel struts overhead.
It would allow people to swim in the Thames without being buffeted by currents or wash from boats. Rock cages, known as gabions, would be used for the walls of the river-level pools, while the elevated pools would be refilled at high tide with Thames water.
The foreshore of King Edward memorial park in Shadwell basin has also been earmarked as a potential site.
The Thames Baths project has been drawn up by Studio Octopi with Civic Engineers and Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects. Chris Romer-Lee, co-founder of Studio Octopi, said it was not about producing a “buildable scheme”, but “opening up people’s imaginations”.
He added: “When Bazalgette’s sewer was completed, everyone took to the water. When the supersewer is completed, the level of water quality will increase substantially.
“Why can’t that open up possibilities for Londoners to get increased access to the waterfront?”
