For Sporting Heritage Day, we proudly present Battle of the Bathmasters! A dramatisation of a 1879 media spat and a public contest of women's swimming skills!

In 1879, an exchange of letters in the newspapers between Mr William Wilson, the first Arlington Club bathsmaster, and his replacement Mr Robertson, led to a media spat centred on the skills of the women that Mrs Wilson was teaching to swim.

In the end it was decided to hold a public swimming contest to settle the dispute!

But who would be victorious?

Find out more about the Battle of the Bathsmasters.

This film was made with funding from Sporting Heritage, which brings together the UK's sporting collections and the people who care for them https://www.sportingheritage.org.uk/

Music:

Hearts & Flowers https://archive.org/details/78_hearts...

Manisot March https://archive.org/details/78_maniso...

Movie title card design:

License Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)