Commie Pool's 50th anniversary marked with giant cake and exhibition

Author: Susan MylesPublished 16th Jan 2020
Last updated 16th Jan 2020

Edinburgh's Commonwealth swimming pool is celebrating a big anniversary with Scottish diver James Heatly cutting a replica cake of the iconic building.

The sports facility was opened in 1970 by Princess Anne ahead of the city hosting the Commonwealth Games.

Heatly's grandfather, Sir Peter Heatly was also a diver and became the first man to use the diving pool in 1969 prior to the big opening.

A popular spot for Edinburgh youth in the 70s and 80s, the pool became known for an urban myth surrounding the now defunct flumes with the claim that a couple of teenagers had snuck in and attached razor blades to the slides.

The building was closed in 2009 for a £37 million refurb and reopened after 3 years in 2012.

The site is the only diving facility in Scotland fit for Olympic standards and it has been used in both the 1970 and 1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games as well as the 2014 Glasgow Games.

A free exhibition about the building's history will be run in the pool foyer until the end of January.