Sports Clubs and Leisure Centres - some histories

Clifton Hill Sports

In the 19th-century there were four brickworks in the Newtown area. The Workhouse Works was one such, and was situated on the Clifton Hill Sports Centre site.

The area was used as an athletic running track during the 1970's, before the Exeter Arena was opened -  the 60 metre long dry ski slope was also open during the 1970's.

The sports centre was built in 1984 and officially opened in 1985 by the Duchess of Kent. An industrial design with 'porthole' style windows, it offers a sports hall, a dance studio, fitness suits, badmington and squash courts and soft play areas and a bar to undo all the good work.

Behind the centre, on the old brickworks quarry is the ski slope and a golf driving range.
Source: Various sources

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Pyramids Swimming Pool, Heavitree Road

The main city swimming pool since its construction in the late 1930's, the Pyramids is still a popular destination for many.

The site was previously that of Edward Rogers Thomas & Sons, sculptors, and was close to the Exeter Corporation Transport Office and bus depot, which had been the sheds for the electric trams up until 1931.

The City Swimming Baths were designed in 1937 by John Bennett, the City Architect for Exeter City Council, with an advanced design for its time. It was opened on 24th May 1941 by the Mayor, Rowland Glave Saunders JP. Costing £56,000, it was built by F & E Small, largely of pre-cast concrete with a brick front façade and sides, it is has a balanced mix of classical and Thirties style art-deco architecture. The 100 ft long, electronically heated pool had enough seats for 500 spectators around its edge. A café and laundry were included in the complex.

During the 4 May 1942 air raid, the fire service was so short of water to extinguish the burning buildings, that they had to run a line to the swimming pool to supply their hoses.

The interior had a makeover in the Eighties with Egyptian tiling and decoration, a new children's pool and better changing facilities in the basement. This prompted changing the name from the City Swimming Baths to the Pyramids.

During 2006, the City Council have announced that they are looking to replace the Pyramids with a 50 metre, Olympic size pool, in time for the 2012 Olympic Games. It is probable that the Pyramids would be demolished and the site given another use.

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Riverside Leisure Centre - Alphington Road

Formerly the Plaza Centre, this leisure centre is difficult to miss, as the large curved glass wall surrounding the pool appears as you leave Exeter towards Alphington. The site, next to the railway viaduct that crosses St Thomas, had been semi derelict for several years. Before that, part of the site was occupied by P Pike & Co Ltd, Austin dealers - during the war, their workshops were used to repair Spitfires.

The Leisure Centre was built by J Sainsbury's, as part of their new store complex, in St Thomas during 1984, at a cost of £8 million. Designed by Exeter architects, Marshman, Warren and Taylor, the curved wall of the Leisure Centre is said to be the second largest of its type in Europe. The idea was borrowed from the Stuttgart Gallery designed by James Stirling. The original 35 m pool had plastic palms and a wave machine, which deterred the more serious swimmers, so it was refurbished into a more conventional 6 lane, 25 m swimming arena, and a 13 m learner pool.

The rest of the building which contains two squash courts, fitness suite, sports hall, and a bar and cafe, is more utilitarian in style. The Leisure Centre, and associated Sainsbury's Store and St Thomas Library complex were opened by Diana, the Princess of Wales in 1986. The plaque, that the Princess unveiled on that day, has since mysteriously disappeared. When Sainsbury's opened their new store, at Alphington Cross in 1999, the St Thomas store was closed, demolished and rebuilt into a series of large retailers including PC World (now Next, 2005) and Boots in the main complex and Pizza Hut in a new facility at the front of the site.

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