The public swimming baths in Penarth were opened in 1885. Unusually (in comparison to other public baths opened in Wales at this time), they were filled with sea water through a series of pipes and a pumping mechanism on the beach. One of the largest public baths in South Wales, they were regularly used for swimming competitions, for water polo, diving, and other water sports being usurped only by the Cold Knap Lido in Barry after 1926 and eventually the Empire Pool in Cardiff which opened in 1958. Although the building remains extant, the baths themselves were closed in the 1980s.

Daryl Leeworthy, RCAHMW, 29 November 2011.