Arlington Baths Club was founded in 1870. It is certainly Britain's oldest surviving swimming club and possibly the oldest of its kind in Europe. It is situated near Charing Cross in a part of the city which in 1870 was predominately residential, the main merchant and industrial parts of the city being at Glasgow Cross and along the river. From the archives of the Club we can establish that it was set up by a group of businessmen in the city and initially known as the Arlington Baths Company. It became Arlington Baths Club in 1903. The original building was designed by John Burnett as a single storey building accommodating the pool, two bath areas and two changing rooms. A small extension was built in 1875 which housed the Turkish suite and this allowed the membership to increase to around 600. The building was further extended in 1893, designed by Andrew Myles, adding a reading room and billiard room. A second storey was added to one side of the building, and in 1902 a further first floor extension was built, giving the building the form it has today.