On sunny days in 19th century Glasgow, city-dwellers flocked to the Clyde and the Kelvin rivers for a refreshing dip. But this watery world of fun and games was also fraught with danger.

Hear how this hidden history of Glasgow is being brought to the surface through stories and songs from the past.

PhD researcher Lucy Janes is searching though 19th century newspapers, magazines, memoirs, poems and songs to learn more about the people who bathed and swam in Glasgow’s outdoor waterways. These texts are slowly yielding up clues about the neglected history of outdoor swimming in urban Glasgow, revealing how Victorian residents enjoyed the water for bathing, swimming and competitions.

But at the same time, these swimmers also had to publicly campaign for safer, cleaner water as both the Clyde and the Kelvin fell victim to dangerous dredging and increased pollution. By the end of the century, although the Kelvin played a leading role in Glasgow’s great exhibitions, river swimming in urban Glasgow was coming to an end.

Today cities worldwide are starting to reconsider the value of their rivers and open waters. The Swimmable Cities Alliance is championing accessible, swimmable urban waterways that are vital to the liveability of cities and communities and as shared civic spaces that promote the health of people and nature.

Join us during Book Week Scotland to learn how the voices of the past can give us to refreshing new views of Glasgow’s rivers.

Speaker

Lucy is in the second year of her PhD at Stirling University and is a member of the Arlington Baths Club.

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Part of Book Week Scotland