Pictures from inside the decaying King Alfred in Hove

The King Alfred Leisure Centre, known then as Hove Marina, was completed in 1939.

Many residents young and old will have fond memories of learning to swim at the pool in the building on Hove seafront.

But more than 80 years after its war-time opening, the building is now in an ever-increasing state of disrepair.

Inside the King Alfred

Wish Ward councillor Robert Nemeth toured the complex last month.

Camera in hand, he photographed the pools, which are closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the nooks and crannies which reveal the building’s history.

He said: “I have wanted to look around the King Alfred properly for years so was delighted to see around it with fellow councillors from the project board.

Inside the King Alfred

“While incredibly interesting, it ultimately hit home the poor state of the existing building and the urgent need for action.”

Stunning pictures from the west side of the building show one of the many plant rooms, with working pumps and pressure valves.

A staircase leads down to a room in which shingle from the beach has breached the perimeter walls, as the building itself slowly begins to fall apart.

Inside the King Alfred

Metal steps lead up to a walkway that tunnels around the complex in an unbroken loop.

The walkway gives access to pipes, cables and ventilation around the pool.

That enables workers to be in a position to fix or service the equipment more easily.

Inside the King Alfred

A bucket can be seen filled with colourful bits of sponge, which might be used to clean crevices in the pipes.

“Shoreham Power Station had a similar bucket,” Cllr Nemeth said.

Inside the King Alfred

The leisure pool complex added in April 1983 is still open to the public – in normal times.

Although covered by tarpaulin, the pool still contains heated water to ensure the pool’s systems keep working.

Inside the King Alfred

Other pictures show the bowls club, which remained open until a couple of years ago.

Inside the King Alfred

The club was formed in 1946 and initially occupied part of the old car park on the west side.

The Extra End, the club’s bar, is now in a state of disrepair, a far cry from its heyday selling spirits and soft drinks to the club’s members.

Inside the King Alfred

A ladder in the sports hall leads down into a tunnel underneath the room.

Inside the King Alfred

Pictures from inside the tunnel show the tiles from the old pool, which originally opened in 1939.

Inside the King Alfred

Cllr Nemeth said: “People have got in contact to tell me they remember holding the tops of those tiles while learning to swim.”

During the war years, more than 22,500 officers of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve were trained at the centre.

They came from all parts of the British Empire.

Inside the King Alfred

A project board of councillors from each party has been formed to start the long process of working out what next to do with King Alfred and sports facilities to the west of the city.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We are in the process of finalising an investment plan to help determine our medium to long-term strategy for our sports centres across the entire city.

“We consulted on this particular issue earlier this year, and the strategy is due to be considered by our tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee in June.

Inside the King Alfred

“If agreed, the strategy would see the King Alfred aligning with other facilities to provide accessible sports provision across the whole of the city.

“However, we will need to wait until after this strategy is agreed before moving forward with any long-term plans for the King Alfred.”