Recent Acquisition: Step Rock Pool by J F Walker
By Samantha Walker
Step Rock Pool by J F Walker
This cheerful painting of the Step Rock outdoor pool from circa 1950 was bequeathed to the Trust by the late Valerie Douglas in 2020. Valerie volunteered for many years and was a great supporter of the museum.
The Step Rock Bathing Pool, now the site of St Andrews Aquarium, was once a bustling outdoor swimming pool in St Andrews. The area has a long history of being used for swimming even before a pool was built. The first bathing shelter was erected in 1873 and by 1887 the Step Rock had its own lifeguard, William Malloch. Malloch saved 191 lives over 16 years as the Step Rock ‘rescue’.
In 1903 the first pool was built. It measured 300ft long by 100ft wide and the depth graduated from 2ft 4ins to 8ft. There was also a small paddling pool for younger bathers. Twice a day the tide would flood the pool with new water.
From 1929 women were permitted use of the Step Rock and a complex was built, comprising of a kiosk, a sandy beach by the pool and changing facilities.
“I went every morning to the Step Rock… that was when the shelters were built into the face of the rock, long before the buildings were erected, and it was a case of you got a slatted floor and you could see the waves under your feet! We had what we called the Penny shelter and the Tuppence shelter. The Penny Shelter was at the outside and the Tuppence Shelter to the inside.” – David Cooper, speaking about the Step Rock pool (15th December 1981).
The Step Rock was a centre of activity for the community; from swimming lessons and diving to water-polo and bathing-belle competitions. Generations of children were taught to swim and life-saving techniques were also taught.
While the outdoor pool was popular in the summer months, the Town had long campaigned for its own indoor pool to allow for year-round swimming. After many years of fundraising, the indoor pool at the East Sands Leisure Centre opened in 1988 and the Step Rock closed.
The painting is by James Forbes Walker (1903-1984), also known as ‘Peem’ Walker, born in Fettercairn. Walker studied at Gray’s School of Art and later exhibited with the RSA, RGI (where he won the James Torrance Memorial prize in 1948) and Dundee Art Society. He is best known as a comics artist for DC Thomson, working there for nearly 50 years drawing comic strips for the likes of The Dandy, The Beano and The Four Marys.
The painting will be on display in the museum until September 2021 as part of our summer exhibition, Fringed With Gold.
