! ýý Qj /,/ /C)6 AN URBAN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: SWIMMING A RECREATIONAL AND COMPETITIVE PURSUIT 1840 TO 1914 by ALISON CLAIRE PARKER DEPARTMENT OF SPORTS STUDIES A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING June 2003 o) ý ABSTRACT Over the last three decades or more, there has been a considerable interest in the socio-historical analysis of sport. While a number of historians have examined the development of the major team games and commercial sports in the context of the changing nature of Victorian and Edwardian society, very few have considered the development of individual and more recreational sports, or located the transformation of sport to the process of urbanization. This thesis examines the relationship between growing urbanization and the transformation of swimming from a recreative activity, into an urban recreation and 'modern' competitive sport. Swimming as a recreation and as a competitive sport, developed as a reaction to and consequence of, both the positive and negative features of urbanization. The hypotheses that the greater the urbanization, the more developed and 'modern' sport became, will be supported with evidence from the sport of swimming. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 ........................................... .................... CHAPTER ONE: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY URBAN ENVIRONMENT 11 ............................................................... Urbanization 13 .................................................................................. Physical the Urban Environment 17 growth of ........................................... Social Class the Urban Environment 21 and .................... ......................... Problems Urban Living 32 of .................................................................. National Local Government Reform 40 and .............................................. Summary 45 ...................................................................................... CHAPTER TWO: THE PLACE OF SPORT IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY URBAN ENVIRONMENT 47 .................................... Continuity Adaptation Sport in the Urban Environment 49 and of ................... The Influence the Urban Environment the Emergence Sport 54 of on of .......... Sport the Urban Environment 58 and ....................................................... Summary 86 ....................................................................................... CHAPTER THREE: IMPROVING THE `CONDITION' OF THE PEOPLE 88 ......................................................................... Health, Hygiene the Sanitary Reform Process 90 and ................................. Provision of Public Baths Wash-houses 96 and ........................................ Description of Public Bathing Facilities 107 ............................................... Swimming as a Rational Activity 112 ....................................................... Seaside Bathing as 'Flight' from the Urban Environment 125 ........................ Summary ..................................................................................... 132 CHAPTER FOUR: THE RISE OF COMPETITIVE SWIMMING 1840 TO 1880 135 ................................................................ The Characteristics 'Modern' Sport 136 of ................................................ Professional Swimming 139 ................................................................... The First Swimming Organizations 150 .................................................... Swimming Press 154 ............................................................................ The 1878 Baths Wash-houses Act 158 and ............................................... Early Competitive Swimming Clubs 161 ................................................... Summary 169 ..................................................................................... CHAPTER FIVE: THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF SWIMMING 1869 TO 1914 172 ................................................................ Amateurism Sport 173 and ................................................................... Amateurism and the Formation of a Governing Body of Swimming.......... 178 Formation of the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association and District Bodies In England 196 ................................................................................... National and International Swimming Competitions 206 .............................. The Development Swimming Strokes 211 of ............................................. Summary 214 ..................................................................................... CHAPTER SIX: SWIMMING AND EDUCATION 216 ................... Public Schools, Private Girls Schools University Swimming 218 and .............. Swimming in State Schools 231 ............................................................. Swimming Teaching 243 ....................................................................... Voluntary Organizations Work Place Schemes 249 and .............................. The Royal Life Saving Society 258 .......................................................... Summary 264 ..................................................................................... CHAPTER SEVEN: THE BODY, WOMEN AND SWIMMING...266 The Female Body Health in Victorian Britain 267 and .................................. Women Sport in the Nineteenth Century 275 and ...................................... Women Swimming in the Nineteenth Century 279 and ............................... Female Bathing Costumes 284 .............................................................. Promotion Swimming for Women 291 of ................................................... Female Professional Swimmers 301 ........................................................ Female Competitive Swimming 306 ......................................................... Summary 319 ..................................................................................... CONCLUSIONS 323 ............................................................. BIBLIOGRAPHY 333 ............................................................ iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, for their help and advice throughout this research, many thanks to Grant Jarvie, Peter Bilsborough and Tony Mason. Secondly, a note of appreciation to the Golspie High School PE Department and in particular Willie Mackay. Finally, this research could not have been undertaken without the love and support of Malcolm and Jack. V GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS A. A.A. Amateur Athletic Association A. S.A. Amateur Swimming Association A. M.S. C. Associated Metropolitan Swimming Club A. S. C.G. Associated Swimming Clubs of Glasgow A. S.C. S Associated Swimming Clubs of Scotland B.C. U British Cycling Union B.O. C British Olympic Committee B.S. S. British Swimming Society F. I.N. A. Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur L.S. A. London Swimming Association M.C. C. Marylebone Cricket Club M.O. H. MedicalOfficer of Health M.S. A. MetropolitanSwimming Association N.S. A. National Swimming Association N.S. S. National Swimming Society N.U. T. National Union of Teachers N.C. A. S.A. Northern Counties Amateur Swimming Association R. H.S. Royal Humane Society R.L. S. S. Royal Life Saving Society S.A. S.A Scottish Amateur Swimming Association S.A. G.B Swimming Association of Great Britain vi S.C. Swimming Club Y. M.C. A Young Men's Christian Association VII INTRODUCTION Over the last three decades or more, there has been a considerable interest in the socio-historical analysis of sport and a body of literature has emerged which has examined the social significance of sporting practice, particularly during the Victorian era. ' These accounts however, have mostly 2 focused upon the major team games and commercial sports. In contrast, individual or more recreational sports have largely been ignored. Swimming in particular, which today is one of the most popular physical recreations and has always been an important skill for the population of an island nation, undertaken by men and women, young and old, as a competitive sport or simply for enjoyment and health, is conspicuously absent from almost all social historical accounts of British sport.3 This study aims to redress this gap in our knowledge and to expand our understanding of sporting development, by examining the transformation of swimming during the period 1840 to 1914. I Some of the key texts on the social history of British sport include; Holt. R. (1992) Sport and the British; Mason, T (1989) Sport in Britain: A Social History and Tranter, N. (1998) Sport, Economy and Society in Britain 1750-1914. 2 Examples of texts concentratingon team and commercial sports include; Collins, T. (1999) Rugby's Great Split: Class, Culture and the Origins of Rugby League Football; Mason, T. (1980) Association Football and English Society, Sandiford,K. (1994) Cricket and the Victoriansand Vamplew,W. (1988) Pay Up and Play the Game. ProfessionalSport in Britain 1875-1914. is 3 One reason for the omission of swimming, in the key texts on nineteenth century sports history. because as Tony Mason (1989: p. 5) acknowledges in Sport in Britain 'Swimming has been ignored... 10) largely because not enough work has been done on the subject'. Whilst, Richard Holt (1992: p. when considering which sports have been examined within his key text Sport and the British states, 'There are some major omissions... swimming which has become so popular a recreation is not discussed'. An exception is