THE eyesore of the former swimming pool in Port Erin will be the subject of a question on the House of Keys next week.

Rushen MHK Juan Watterson says the derelict state of the site should be tackled by government, possibly through a compulsory purchase order.

He will be asking Infrastucture Minister Phil Gawne if he will consider using such an order “to restore the site to its natural state or minimise its visual impact.”

He also wants to know if the current dilapidated condition of the site constitutes it being “ruinous and/or derelict” under the building control act.

The Port Erin pool has not been in use as a swimming pool for many years but was a centre of the town’s leisure activities for all ages in the 1960s, and included changing rooms and a cafe.

It was deep enough at the seaside end to have two diving boards - one at 10 feet and another at 30 feet. During the summer months there were regular weekly galas with swimming and diving competitions

The concrete structures have fallen into serious decay over the years and the area was fenced off to prevent public access some years ago.

The pool used to operate in a similar way to the long time derelict old Peel swimming pool, filling with sea water as the tide rises. The water in the pool came in direct from the sea through filters to prevent fish, seaweed, flotsam and jetsam getting into the pool.

Water was then retained and it warmed naturally in the concrete enclosure. The pool was then periodically emptied and re-filled with fresh sea water, particularly if strong winds created high seas and debris ended up in the pool.

The “Port Erin Baths” were built in the Victorian era, but the precise date is not clear. It was a major tourist attraction at the beginning of the 20th century. 

The Port Erin pool was also used commercially as a fish farm for seafish and shellfish in the 1970s but the enterprise lasted only a short time before closing.

Photo: Tessa Hawley