Warrender Baths Club is a

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

club which originated at Warrender Baths in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, established in 1888. In 2013 the Club had 600 members with an active membership of 350 swimmers training at nine swimming pools across Edinburgh. Their swimmers compete in a wide range of international and national competitions including the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. Warrender has been called the premier swimming club in ScotlandRamsay, James. "Fifty Glorious Years", ''Edinburgh Evening News''], 26 November 1938. (This article is also reproduced in Gilmour's ''One Hundred Years of Warrender baths Club''.) and claims to be one of the oldest, most successful swimming clubs in the UK.Warrender Swimming
Warrender Baths Club official web page]; retrieved 21 March 2013.

History of the club

1888 to 1918 – Early years

In 1886 the Warrender Private Baths Company Ltd. built a private swimming baths in Edinburgh. The land was bought from Sir Sir George Warrender, 7th Baronet, George Warrender, MP and the baths opened on 17 December 1887.Staff (4 February 2006
Wonder of Warrender
The Scotsman, Retrieved 15 February 2013 Warrender Baths Club (Warrender) was established in 1888.Archibald, Cathy (21 November 200
Report PS 52 - Warrender Baths Club
Scottish Parliament Pathways into Sport Committee Report, Retrieved 14 February 2013 Warrander Baths Club War Memorial

George M. Paterson was first Warrender champion swimmer in 1892, but initially, most of Warrender's activities centred around water polo. In 1896, Frank Marshall was Warrender's first water polo internationalist. In 1900 Stanley Bell captained the Scottish team in a Water Polo International against Wales held at Warrender Baths and in 1901 Warrender won the first Scottish National Water Polo Championship organised by the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association (SASA)."One Hundred Years of Scottish Swimming", Peter Bilsborough, 1988, Scottish Amateur Swimming Association, ASIN: B000QB8VIG In 1906 Warrender Baths closed for economic reasons but the Club carried on at

Portobello Portobello, Porto Bello, Porto Belo, Portabello, or Portabella may refer to: Places Brazil * Porto Belo Ireland * Portobello, Dublin * Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin formerly ''Portobello Barracks'' New Zealand * Portobello, New Zealand, on Ot ...

swimming pool. In 1908, Edinburgh Corporation purchased the site and opened the baths to the public. Warrender Baths Club returned to its original location and in 1910 a ladies section was formed.Gilmore, Jamie, editor (1990) "One Hundred Years of Warrender Baths Club 1888-1988" Macdonald Lindsay Pindar plc, Edinburgh, The club wound down activities during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

as all senior club members joined the forces. A plaque in the front lobby of Warrender Baths commemorates those who died in this war - one, David McGregor, was awarded Britain's highest award for valour, the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

1919 to 1945 – Successful years

After the war, the club returned to its former strength and in 1919 won the Scottish Championships. In 1924, Warrender produced Ellen King, one of Scotland's greatest ever swimmers. Aged 15 she came sixth in the 100 yards Backstroke in the Paris Olympic Games.Hannan, Martin (17 November 2002
Scottish sports hall of fame: The nominees: Ellen King (1909-1994)

Scotland on Sunday ''Scotland on Sunday'' is a Scottish Sunday newspaper, published in Edinburgh by JPIMedia and consequently assuming the role of Sunday sister to its daily stablemate '' The Scotsman''. It was originally printed in broadsheet format but in 20 ...

, Retrieved 14 February 2012 She won all Scottish Championship titles for women (except Graceful Diving) and was the only swimmer then, male or female, to have won three British Championships at different strokes. However, the male-dominated Warrender Baths Club of the time, prevented Ellen and other female swimmers from holding a ladies gala event. So Ellen and several other women left the club in 1925 and formed Zenith Ladies Swim Club. Ellen then won two silver medals at the 1928 Summer Olympics and silver and bronze medals at the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what now is known as the Commonwealth Games, and were held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The games were organized by ''Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

. She was inducted into the

Scottish Sports Hall of Fame The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame of Scotland, set up in 2002. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and National Museums Scotland. It is also funded ...

in 2002. Warrender's Jean McDowell came fourth in the 100 yards Freestyle in the

1928 Amsterdam Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

in an extremely close finish. In 1927 and 1928 she won all Scottish freestyle championships.Tedder, Anita and Daniels, Stephanie (12 February 2000
Jean Burnett
The Herald, Retrieved 25 January 2013 At the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Canada, Jean and fellow Warrender swimmer Jessie McVey both won bronze medals as part of the Scottish relay team.Jean McDowell (Jean Burnett)
Gazetteer for Scotland, Sports Personalities, Retrieved 17 February 2013 Jean also won two won bronze medals at the 1934 Empire Games in London. Jean later remarked that female competitive swimmers had great difficulty training in the 1920s and 30s as mixed bathing was forbidden and training times for women were often restricted - in Warrender's case only on Saturday mornings when schools were there, leaving little room for Olympic hopefuls to swim. In 1932 Warrender won the Scottish men and women's swimming team race championships and the Scottish Water Polo championships, the first time a Scottish club had done this. In 1938, the

Edinburgh Evening News The ''Edinburgh Evening News'' is a daily newspaper and website based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by John Wilson (1844–1909) and first published in 1873. It is printed daily, except on Sundays. It is owned by JPIMedia, which also ...

noted at the club's 50th anniversary that between 1888 and 1938, the Warrender men won the Scottish Team Swimming Championships seven times and the East of Scotland Team title 22 times. The Warrender women won the Scottish Team Swimming Championships three times, were runners up seven times and won the East of Scotland title 11 times. The Warrender Water Polo teams won the Scottish Cup eight times, the East of Scotland Championship 14 times and the Edinburgh Corporation Trophy 17 times. Club members had also won over 100 Scottish and Eastern individual championships. At the start of World War II in 1939, the club wound down its activities but had two charity galas in 1942 and 1943.

1946 to 1967 – Postwar rebuilding of the club

The club resumed officially in 1946, its teams being rebuilt from scratch. Once the swimming teams were re-established, in 1951, Warrender became East District Team Race Champions and three swimmers and two divers represented Scotland in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Cardiff.

1968 to 1989 – Supremacy in Scottish swimming

From 1968 to 1989 Warrender was supreme in Scottish swimming. It was one of the top clubs in British swimming and its swimmers won in European, Commonwealth and World competitions - including

David Wilkie David Wilkie may refer to: * David Wilkie (artist) (1785–1841), Scottish painter * David Wilkie (surgeon) (1882–1938), British surgeon, scientist and philanthropist * David Wilkie (footballer) (1914–2011), Australian rules footballer * David ...

who has been described as Scotland's greatest ever swimmer.(29 June 2012
Golden Scots: David Wilkie in Montreal, 1976
BBC Sport Scotland, Retrieved 21 May 2013Riach, Fraser (26 September 1970) "Poised to join world-class swimmers: Sporting Scots 4 - David Wilkie", The Glasgow Herald, Page 8, A copy is also available on the internet a

Retrieved 1 April 2013 Ten Warrender swimmers, represented Scotland in the 1970 Commonwealth Games including David Wilkie and Sally Hogg who represented Great Britain in the 1970 European Aquatics Championships in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

. In 1971 Warrender were second to Southampton in the unofficial club championships of Britain. David Wilkie won a bronze medal at the 1970 Commonwealth Games, a silver at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, won the 200 metres breaststroke

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in world record time in 1973 and won two golds and a silver at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. In 1976, while at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, he won a Gold medal in the 200m Breaststroke in World Record time and another Silver medal at the Montreal Olympic Games. Warrender swimmers

Gordon Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its form ...

and

Alan McClatchey Alan McClatchey (born 16 September 1956) is a Scottish former swimmer who competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and won a bronze medal as a member of the British 4x200-metre freestyle relay with Gordon Downie, David ...

(then studying at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

) also won Olympic bronzes as part of the 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay team. Over 300 Warrender members attended a reception in 1976 for Wilkie in Edinburgh where he paid tribute to Warrender coaches Frank Thomas and John Ashton for their contributions to his success. Wilkie was voted European Male Swimmer of the Year(1982
David Wilkie (GBR) 1982 Honor Swimmer
International Swimming Hall of Fame, Retrieved 2 June 2013 and also awarded the

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

.(24 July 2012
Olympic heroes, No 25: David Wilkie
The Scotsman, Retrieved 13 August 2013 Paul Easter represented Great Britain in the European Cup in Gothenburg and Scotland in the Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games winning bronze in the 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay and the 4 × 100 m Medley Relay. He also represented Great Britain in the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. At the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an intern ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, Easter (who was then studying at Arizona State University) won a bronze medal swimming for Britain in the 4 × 200 m Freestyle Relay. In 1986 Paul Easter, Colin Bole and Andrew Smith swam in the Scottish

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

team. In 1987 Warrender won both the Robertson (Scottish National Open Championship) and the Waldie (Scottish National Age Group Championships) Trophies, the first time a club had won both championships in the same season. 20131207 Warrender Gala

In 1988, Warrender’s Men’s and Women’s team won the Scottish heats of the British Swimming Club Team Championships. Warrender again won the Waldie and Robertson Trophies and its swimmers won over 40 individual championships and broke over 30 championship records. Warrender also regained the Wainwright Trophy at the Scottish National Short Course Championships. The Club held a Centenary Gala in Dunfermline and other social events to celebrate the 100 years of its existence.

1990 to 1999 – Barren years

In the mid-1990s the club had financial difficulties, declining membership and several short lived changes to its coaching staff. A few top level senior swimmers remained - in particular

Fraser Walker Fraser Walker (born 1973) is a retired male Scottish swimmer specialising in the individual medley events. Swimming career Walker is best known for winning the silver medal in the Men's 200 m Individual Medley at the inaugural 1993 FINA S ...

who won silver in the men's 200 m individual medley at the inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in SpainCoates, Jonathan (13 January 2008
Record beaten at long last. Tollcross Swimming: Tait and Dale both smash Fraser Walker's standard
The Sunday Herald, Retrieved 28 February 2013 and bronze at the

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games (French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling ...

in the 200 Metres Individual Medley.(2007
Commonwealth Games Medallists - Swimming and Diving (Men)
GBRAthletics web page, retrieved 21 March 2013 Warrender was no longer the dominant age group and youth force in Scotland that it once was. In 1996, the club had shrunk to less than 100 registered swimmers and was only rated 5th best club in the East District and way down the National rankings.The Stars of Warrender
Scottish Swimming, Retrieved 17 February 2013 At the end of 1996, Scottish Swimming formed the City of Edinburgh Swimming programme to cater for elite swimmers wanting to train in the capital. Warrender was one of six Edinburgh Clubs working in partnership to ensure the new ‘City’ programme became established. For several years Warrender became the main contributor of swimmers to the scheme.

2000 to 2014 – Resurgence

In the early 2000s, the support for training Edinburgh swimmers was reduced and the City of Edinburgh programme became a separate swimming club. Warrender decided to train its own elite swimmers and won the Solripe Trophy (East District Swimming Championship) in 2000 and for the next 12 years,. In the early 2000s, Warrender formed partnerships with SwimEasy (a swimming lessons business started by Gail Smith and Ian Write, two former Warrender coaches) to recruit promising young swimmers.

Merchiston Castle School Merchiston Castle School is an independent boarding school for boys in the suburb of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has around 470 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 7 and 18 as either boarding or day pupils; it was modelled ...

allowed Warrender swimmers to use their pool in exchange for swimming lessons and training to schoolchildren. Club swimmers trained in

, Spain,

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, baroque bui ...

, Hungary,

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Lan ...

, France,

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, USA,

Bühl (Baden) The city of Bühl ( Low Alemannic: ''Bihl'') is part of the district of Rastatt in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has a history reaching back to the twelfth century and was formerly an agricultural town, especially ...

, Germany and

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

, Iceland. Between 2005 and 2013, Warrender won the top club award most years at the Scottish National Age Group Championships, several times won the top club award at the Scottish National Short Course and Open Championships and with swimmers were regularly winning medals at Scottish and

British national A British national, or United Kingdom national, is a person who possesses a type of British nationality. This includes anyone who is a: * British citizen * British Overseas Territories citizen * British Overseas citizen * British subject (as defi ...

meets.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Fiona Booth from Warrender swam for Scotland. Lewis Smith won gold at the 2008 Tri-Nations Swimming Contest with France and Canada in Quebec. Warrender had 12 swimmers at the British Olympic Trials in 2008. One, Sean Fraser, won bronze in the

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

2008 Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It wa ...

. Ewan Johnston won two bronze medals and Andrew Haslett a bronze for Scotland at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, India. Warrender came second at the 2008 British National Championships at

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. Smith competed at the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships ( it, Campionati mondiali di nuoto 2009) or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Italy(September 2012
British Swimming Intensive Training Centre - Stirling
British Swimming, Retrieved 17 February 2013 Craig Hamilton swam at the 2009 European Open Water Swimming Championships in Eilat and

Craig Benson Craig R. Benson (born October 8, 1954
...

competed at the 2009

European Youth Olympic Festival The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) is a biennial multi-sport event for youth (14 to 18 years old) athletes from the 50 member countries of the association of European Olympic Committees. The festival has a summer edition, held for the fir ...

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

.(2012
Craig Benson
The Herald Scotland, Retrieved 17 February 2013 Smith won a silver medal, Fraser won bronze and Craig McNally swam at the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

. In 2011, Dan Wallace and Benson won silver medals at the

2011 European Junior Swimming Championships The 2011 European Junior Swimming Championships were held from 6–10 July 2011 in Belgrade, Serbia. The Championships were organized by Ligue Européenne de Natation (LEN), the European Swimming League, and were held in a 50-meter pool. Per LEN ru ...

in Belgrade. At the

2011 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships The 3rd FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, were held on August 16–21, 2011, in Lima, Peru. Medal table Medal summary Boys' events Girls' events External linksOfficial siteResults
{{FINA champs 2011 in Peruvian sport, S 201 ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

, Peru, Benson won gold in the 100m Breaststroke in championship world record time and a silver in the 50m Breaststroke. Benson also won all breaststroke events at the

2011 Commonwealth Youth Games The 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games, officially known as the IV Commonwealth Youth Games, and commonly known as Isle Of Man 2011, is a multi-sport event which took place from 7 to 13 September 2011 in the British Crown Dependency of Isle of Man. As ...

in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and was awarded Athlete of the Games. Smith was a finalist at the 2011 World University Games. Four Warrender swimmers swam at the 2012 London Olympic Trials. At the 2012 Olympics, Benson swam in the 100 m breaststroke and in the British Medley Relay team. Smith swam for Great Britain in the European Open Water Championships in Piombino, Italy. Benson swam in the 2012 European Short Course Swimming Championships in Chartres, France, and was part of the Medley relay squad that broke the British record. In 2012 Olympic silver medallist

Keri-Anne Payne Keri-anne Payne (born 9 December 1987), also known by her married name Keri-anne Carry, is a South African-born British swimmer, specialising in marathon open water swimming, and long-distance freestyle swimming in the pool. She is a two-time 1 ...

joined Warrender.Magnay, Jacqueline (29 December 2012
Keri-Anne Payne considers switching to the pool after the pain of fourth at London Olympics
The Telegraph, Retrieved 24 January 2013 Craig McNally broke the Scottish record in the finals of the 200 m backstroke in the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in

, Spain and Smith won a bronze medal in the 400 m individual medlay at the

2013 World University Games The 2013 Summer Universiade, officially known as the XXVII Summer Universiade (russian: XXVII Летняя Универсиада), was held in the city of Kazan, Russia, the most northerly city ever to host a Summer Universiade. Over 10,400 un ...

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...

, Russia. Six Warrender swimmers were selected to swim for Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Dan Wallace (then studying at

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

) won a gold medal in the 400 m individual medley and two silver medals; Craig Hamilton (then studying at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

) won a silver with the Scottish 4 × 200 m men's relay team;

Craig Benson Craig R. Benson (born October 8, 1954
...

was 4th in the 100 m breastroke; Fiona Donnelly (then studying at the

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

University) was in the Scottish 4 × 100 m medley relay team which came 4th; Lewis Smith was 5th in the 400 m individual medley and Craig McNally was 5th in the 200 m backstroke.

Locations

Warrender Baths Club was originally based at Warrender Swim Centre, on Thirlestane Road in Edinburgh. This grade B listed building has a 25yd indoor pool, gym and a sauna. With 350 swimmers and 600 members (in 2013) Warrender has had to use many many other Edinburgh venues for training - in particular the Olympic-sized

Royal Commonwealth Pool The Royal Commonwealth Pool is a listed building#Scotland, category-A-listed building in St Leonard's, Edinburgh, St Leonard's, Edinburgh, Scotland that houses one of Scotland's main swimming pools. It is usually referred to simply as the Commonw ...

. From 2009 to 2012 this 50 m pool was closed for renovations.(19 April 2011
Setting the Stage for Swimming Glory
The Edinburgh Evening News, Retrieved 128 February 2013 and Warrender used up to 12 different Edinburgh swimming pools to train its 13 swimming squads.Gourtsoyannis, Paris (24 September 2012)
Inspire a generation Are Scotland’s schools ready to make the most of this summer’s sporting legacy?
Holyrood Magazine, Retrieved 1 September 2013 In 2013, Warrender swimmers were training in the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Warrender Baths,

pool,

Leith Academy Leith Academy is a state school in Leith, Edinburgh. It currently educates around 1000 pupils and around 2,800 part-time adult learners. Mike Irving has been head teacher since August 2017. History It is one of the oldest schools in Scotland, w ...

pool, Craigroyston School pool,

Forrester High School Forrester High School is a secondary school in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. St Augustine's High School, an RC secondary, moved onto a shared campus with Forrester High School in January 2010. Previously the schools had been next to each ot ...

pool, Ainslie Park Swimming and Leisure Centre, Glenogle Baths and Leith Victoria public baths.Warrender Swimming facilities
Part of Warrender baths Club Official web Page, Retrieved 2 September 2013

Olympic swimmers

Olympic gold medallist

, silver Olympic medallists Ellen King and

, Olympic bronze medallists Paul Easter,

and

, Olympic finalist Jean McDowell and Olympic semi-finalist

Craig Benson Craig R. Benson (born October 8, 1954
...

all swam for Warrender Baths Club. Scott Quin won Silver and George Simpson and Sean Fraser won bronze medals at the Paralympics.

Notable administrators and coaches

George Patterson was the first President of the Club in 1894 and secretary of the SASA in 1895. George W Ferguson, a Warrender Baths Club President and SASA President, was appointed Team Manager for the Scottish team at the 1930 Empire Games and Commandant for the 1934 Empire Games. Instrumental in rebuilding the club after 1945 were Jean McDowell, the pre-war Olympic finalist and Mae Cochrane, later the first female President of Warrender in 1976 and President of SASA in 1981,.Obituary - Lady (Mae) Heatly
The Scotsman, 5 May 2003, Retrieved 17 February 2013 In 1982 Mae Cochrane was awarded the OBE for her outstanding services to swimming. Frank Thomas was Warrender coach from 1965 to 1970 and has been described as one of the leading coaches in Britain. Frank developed ten swimmers to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth games including David Wilkie who achieved an Olympic gold medal, added various new swimming training venues and recruited assistant coaches. Ian McGregor was Chief Coach from 1980 and was awarded the Scottish Coach of the Year in 1987. Ian Wright was appointed Warrender head coach in 1996 and helped Warrender recover from a period of decline. Wright was British swimming team coach at the 2005 European Junior Swimming Championships and 2006 European Aquatics Championships and was appointed by Scottish Swimming as a Performance Coach at the Scottish National Swimming Academy in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

in 2009. In 2009 Australian-born Laurel Bailey was appointed Warrender head coach. She was awarded Performance Coach of the Year by Sportscotland, the National sports agency in 2012.

Notes

Sources

*{{cite book, last=Gilmour, first=Jamie, title=One Hundred Years of Warrender Baths Club 1888-1988, publisher=Macdonald Lindsay Pindar plc, Edinburgh, year=1990, isbn=0951678701 Swim teams Swimming in Scotland Sport in Scotland 1888 establishments in Scotland Swimming clubs in the United Kingdom