For years I have always been saying there is no reason why London can’t make more of the river and what better way to use it then create Thames Baths for the people of London to swim in’.
Tracey Emin CBE

About Thames Baths


Thames Baths proposes the reintroduction of swimming in the River Thames. The proposals look to re-establish an intimate and playful link between Londoners and this historic lifeblood of the city.

Our vision is to inspire people in cities around the world to reclaim their rivers for swimming and increased public use.

We aim to launch a series of natural swimming baths which can be replicated and licensed in cities across the UK and worldwide, enabling people to enjoy swimming safely in their own rivers.

Current designs for locations adjacent to City Hall, the South Bank, and Temple Stairs were exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts and featured widely throughout the global press.

We recently ran a Kickstarter campaign which helped raise £142,000 for a Pre-Planning Report to assess the various sites along the River Thames. The 30 day crowdfunding campaign had 1,200+ backers and was a huge public endorsement of the proposals.

The ideas were launched in 2013 as part of the ‘London As It Could Be Now’ programme. This was an open call ideas project, developed by The Architecture Foundation and Royal Academy of Arts with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Architects Studio Octopi and their team were selected as one of five groups to work up new visions for the Thames. The proposals were subsequently exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Thames Baths has received considerable worldwide press coverage including The Guardian, BBC Radio, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Mail Online and Time Out London.