Dundee nostalgia floods back as Olympia tunnel photo goes viral

A throwback post by Dundee Culture has sparked a wave of nostalgia for one of the city’s best-known landmarks – the old Olympia swimming pool and its connecting tunnel.

The post, which featured a photo of the bridge that once linked Tayside House to the Olympia, has attracted more than 2,500 reactions and hundreds of comments from Dundonians reminiscing about days spent at the pool.

The tunnel was infamous for its strong smell of chlorine wafting through the air, and even played host to buskers in its heyday.

“Nothing says Dundee nostalgia like the whiff of chlorine and a mad dash for the flumes,” read the caption – and the memories soon came flooding in.

Many recalled arriving at Olympia for opening time on a Saturday morning to race towards the cannonball chute before the water was disturbed.

Others remembered the famous banana split slide, with one commenter joking about leaving the pool covered in bruises but determined to carry on.

One memory went back to the early 1980s, when a swimmer practicing lifesaving duck-dived in the shallow end and broke their front teeth – a painful experience quickly patched up by a local dentist.

Others recalled the sights and smells of the tunnel itself, with one Dundonian writing: “It’s like a scratch & sniff photo, can still smell the chlorine now & I’m getting on a bit & left Dundee many years ago.”

Not all the memories were about swimming. The tunnel was also remembered as a lively walkway, with locals recalling a busker in the early 2000s performing Oasis covers to passers-by.

Some even remembered how the bridge shook slightly when people jumped up and down on it above the busy roundabout.

Among the more light-hearted stories, one commenter brought up “wee 4ft nothing mad Margaret” who would storm past fellow swimmers while muttering under her breath – a character that clearly left a lasting impression on many visitors.

The old Olympia, with its slides, flumes and distinctive character, was a much-loved part of Dundee life for generations before its demolition. If the reaction to this single photo is anything to go by, its memory still runs deep in the city’s collective heart.