About
Pells Pool
Pells Pool is the oldest freshwater outdoor public swimming pool in the UK. Each year, between May and November, we welcome thousands of people to our unique lido in the historic town of Lewes, in East Sussex.
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First opened in 1861, Pells is an unheated, spring-fed pool, 50 yards (46m) long and 25 yards (23m) wide. As well as the main pool, there’s a paddling pool for kids, a sun terrace and a beautiful tree-lined lawn, where you can picnic and relax after an invigorating plunge.
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The pool is heated by the sun, so the water is usually cool at the start of our season in May, but soon warms up as the weeks go by. Wetsuits can be worn and we usually have at least one lane available for lap swimming.
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There are male and female changing areas, toilets and five open-air showers (four warm, one cold). We ask everyone to shower before entering the pool to help us keep the water clean.
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We also have an accessible toilet, shower and changing room and a ramp so anyone with mobility needs can get into the pool easily. You can also use our wheelchair, should you need to.
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We serve tea, coffee, soft drinks, snacks and ice creams at our kiosk, and you’re welcome to bring your own food and drink to enjoy on our lawn and sun terrace. There’s also a water fountain for you to refill your water bottles and customers bringing their own cup get a 20p discount on hot drinks.
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We have an online booking system for all sessions. If you don’t have internet access, you can book a swim at our kiosk. You can also turn up to swim and pay at the kiosk but, unfortunately, if the session is full, we won't be able to sell you a ticket.
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We’re sorry, but we don’t allow dogs in the pool or the surrounding areas.
Shaping our future
The iconic Pells kiosk will be refurbished as part of the plans.
At our 2024 AGM, the Pells Pool Community Association asked swimmers and visitors for feedback on the Pells Pool and its facilities, and what improvements we could make. We used this feedback to create a future vision for the pool, presented at our official opening event in 2025.
We’re now seeking pre-application advice from the South Downs National Park planning authority, based on a draft set of proposals.
The proposals are by no means finalised and we welcome comments and suggestions from swimmers, visitors and the local community.
See the bottom of the page to find out how to give us your feedback.
Your comments will help us finalise our planning application, which we hope to submit in late Spring 2026.
Our proposals
Our aim is to ensure we protect the unique character of Pells Pool and its setting, while looking to meet the aspirations of swimmers, visitors and staff for improved facilities, which will be flood-resilient and future-proofed.
There are four main elements or phases to our proposals. Phasing would allow us to raise funding and also allow us to keep the pool open as much as possible throughout work.
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A: Replacing the plant room and changing rooms with new facilities (including a flood-resilient ‘floating’ building and creating a new main entrance at that end of the pool.
B: Refurbishing and extending the kiosk building to provide more space for food, drink and merchandise sales, improved staff facilities and more toilets that would open during high season.
C: Building a new ramp and stairs to provide better access for swimmers, by extending the southeastern side of the pool (the side next to the flint wall). The aquifer pump building would be replaced with a submerged chamber.
D: Providing a more engaging space for young children and families, by replacing the paddling pool with a smaller pool and splash pad surround.
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Downloads
Let us know your thoughts
We’d love to hear from swimmers, visitors and the local community. Please email your comments by 30 April 2026 to shapingourfuture@pellspool.org.uk or in writing to PPCA c/o Lewes Town Council, Town Hall, Lewes, BN7 2QS.
We’re also holding an exhibition at Lewes Town Hall until 30 April 2026, where you can view the proposals and leave comments.
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We’ll be manning the exhibition boards on 25 March 2026 (5:30-8:30pm) and on 2 April 2026 (4:30-8:30pm), if you’d like to discuss the proposals in person.