Club History

Horncastle Otters Swimming Club formed in 1962 out of a tradition of club swimming in the town that stretches back to the late 19th century.  Local newspaper records show that Horncastle Bathing Club was in existence in 1875 when it paid £135 to the Navigation Company for the no longer required dry dock at the junction of the Waring and Bain rivers to be used as a small open-air pool.

Extract from 1819 Plan of Horncastle showing the Navigation Company Dry Dock.

In 1880 the dry dock was sold to the local Board of Health for the princely sum of £75; possibly indicating its poor condition by that point, or linked to a promise of future improvement, as by 1887 a more formal open-air pool had been constructed to support a developing interest in swimming in the town.  In 1894 responsibility for the pool transferred to the Urban District Council and in June 1908 the Horncastle Swimming Club formed with 30 members, having as President, the Hon R P Stanhope and Brown Daubney as Captain.  Despite two World Wars and scant newspaper records it is evident that interest in swimming in Horncastle continued between 1908 and 1962.  One such report in the Lincolnshire Echo of 17 Jul 1950 stated that:

Annual swimming sports organised by the Recreation Committee of the Urban Council were held at Horncastle Baths.  Prizes were presented by Mrs B C Morrison of Greetham.  The Willoughby Cup for the best all-round performance by boys 15 and under was won by T Harrison, and the Stanhope Cup for the best girl went to G Blenkiron.  The Morrison Cup for life-saving was won by G Swallow, who had a two-seconds margin over Police-constable F Midgley (Baumber) and D Holmes.

In the early seventies, Horncastle Urban District Council made great strides towards improving the pool, but were thwarted when the Government of the day imposed a moratorium on such developments.  Local government re-organisation in 1974 saw East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) become responsibility for maintenance of the pool.  Over the next 30 years the outdoor era came to an end, with the paddling pool also eventually going, to make way for improved changing and viewing facilities and the gym facilities we have today.  In May 2014 ELDC Executive Committee decided to employ a charitable, non-profit distributing organisation to manage leisure and culture services in their area; a decision which resulted in the formation of Magna Vitae, which assumed responsibility for Horncastle Leisure Centre 1 January 2015.

There are few written historical records of Otters as a Club from its formation in 1962 until the beginning of the century.  What we do have are the photos below (courtesy of Horncastle Memories Facebook page), which hopefully bring back fond memories for past members.  If you have any memories from that era that you want to share, particularly of Otters outings, being on the Otters float as part of the Town Gala or of particular teachers or events you remember, then please let us know.

1960s Eric Williams

1970s Rookie Lifesavers

1970s Certificate Winners

Otters Outing March 1978

1979 Swimming Gala

1980 December Awards and Trophies

1991 Town Gala Float Team