Oxford's historic bathing places
Behind every name there is a story.
From Parson's Pleasure to Dame's Delight, each of Oxford's historic bathing places holds a history behind its name: who used it, where it was located, who owned it, or why it was used.
The map to the right shows 22 historic river swimming spots on the River Thames and River Cherwell.
1. Wolvercote
2. Black Jack's Hole
3. Fiddler's Island
4. Port Meadow Stream
5. Tumbling Bay (aka "Tum")
6. The Sheepwash
7. Boney's Bridge
8. St Ebbe's
9. Stump Pool
10. Sunnymeade
11. The Rhea
12. Parson's Pleasure
13. Dame's Delight
14. St Clement's (aka "Duck Pond")
15. Milham Stream
16. Deep Martin
17. Long Meadow Bush
18. Codger's Island
19. Aston's Eyot
20. Saunders's Bridge
21. Long Bridges
22. Iffley Pool
Throughout this exhibition, you will encounter photographs and stories from people who used these bathing places and were inspired by them.
The exhibition is divided into thematic sections that explore different aspects of the history of river swimming in Oxford. Explore the exhibition using the navigation bar at the bottom of each page, or jump to different sections using the links below.