Saturday mornings, cold water and hot pork pies: Your memories of a trip to Seaton Baths

A picture from the Hartlepool Mail’s archive sparked a conversation on social media, as dozens of you got in touch to reminisce about learning to swim, meeting friends and the all-important snack on the way home.

There was lots of love for a hot pork pie and drink from the cabin, attending swimming club and walking over the Steelworks Bridge and bridge for that Saturday morning trip to the baths.

The pool first opened in 1914.

Here are some of your memories, as shared on the Mail’s Facebook page. Thank you to everyone who contributed:

Catherine Foreman: “Best part coming out into the cold and the pork pies!”

Heather Cook: “Memory lane, 6-8pm session on Wednesday, cup of Oxo at the Woodpecker Cafe.”

Larraine Mann: “Loved this place, so many happy memories.”

Beverley Armstrong: “Loved going here. Me and Mark Lynn often went. We would get the bus to Burn Valley then walk across the steel bridge.

"When we came out we would go to the hut across the road and get some sweets for our walk home."

Jacqui de Lorme: “Loved Friday night double session. A gang of us used to go. Boys to dive bomb and girls sitting on the side in pretty bikinis and those horrible plastic swimming caps.”

Steve Gibbon: “7 until 10 on a Saturday morning then a pork pie and a Bovril from the little green hut, happy days.

Janet Elson: “Learned to swim there, always spent my bus fare and had to walk home.”

Mick Buttery: “I learned to swim in there, a Mr Hall was the guy that taught me. Great memories but hell that water was cold.”

Jean Kent: “Walking over the bridge then the pie when coming out of the baths. Then walking back over the bridge, I was scared [I’d fall] through the gaps.

Eileen Flounders: “Used to go as much as I could, the baths and the skating rink at Seaton.”

Michael Herbert: “Friday evening with the 40th scouts.”

Susan Scurr: “Going to swimming club.”

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