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What are natural swimming pools?

What are natural swimming pools?

UK design and construction

UK design and construction

International design and consultancy

International design and consultancy

Photo gallery

Photo gallery

About us

About us

Natural Swimming Pond Hertfordshire
 
 
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See natural swimming pools we have designed and built in our gallery

Hertfordshire, 2009

Kent, 2009

Dorset, 2009

Surrey, 2008

Natural Swimming Pool, Greece 2008

Greece, 2008

Sussex, 2008

Natural Swimming Pool, Herts 2007

Herts, 2007

Natural Swimming Pool, Cambridgeshire 2007

Cambridgeshire, 2007

Natural Swimming Pool, Wiltshire 2006

Wiltshire, 2006

Natural Swimming Pool, Oxfordshire 2007

Oxfordshire, 2007

Swimming Pool Conversion, Kent 2008

Kent, 2008

Natural Swimming Pool, Herts 2005

Hertfordshire, 2005

Natural Swimming Pool, Midlands 2004

Midlands, 2004

Natural Swimming Pool, Oxfordshire 2007

Oxfordshire, 2007

Natural Swimming Pool, London 2004

London, 2004

Natural Swimming Pool, London 2006

London, 2006

Natural Swimming Pool, Highgate, London, 2006

London, 2006

Natural Swimming Pool, Cornwall 2006

Cornwall, 2006

Natrural Swimming Pool, Cambridge 2005

Cambridge, 2005

Natural Swimming Pool, Norfolk 2005

Norfolk, 2005

 
 

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New Year 2010 Special Offer - valid in January and February

 

- Design Consultations within 25 miles of the M25 are free

- Design Consultations further than this are £235 + expenses

 

Please call 020 7183 3333 or email us to book.  More info...

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Hello and welcome to gartenART Natural Swimming Pools.  We are the leading company in the design and construction of natural swimming pools and swimming ponds in the UK, having built approximately 50 natural pools since 2004. We also offer an international service.

 

A natural swimming pool or natural swimming pond (the two terms mean the same) is specifically designed so you can swim in pure, clear water with no chemicals.  Its design can range from formal to entirely natural, and it is all at once a practical swimming facility, a beautiful landscape feature, and a wildlife sanctuary. 

 

Natural swimming pools have the advantages of conventional swimming pools, but also look beautiful and respect the environment, offering a fresh and vivid display of nature in your own garden. They are the next step in man-made swimming facilities, combining design, an understanding of how ecological systems work, and the very latest in bio-technology to produce one of the most innovative and complete garden features available.

 

Our speciality is producing clean, clear swimming water using natural purification methods.  We also carry out swimming pool conversions, and pond/lake restorations, but our main work to date has been designing and building natural swimming pools and swimming ponds from scratch - this also gives us the opportunity to carry out some fantastic designs.

If you are interested in swimming in clear, soft water in your own garden, or simply in having a beautiful garden feature all year round, please browse our site.  

In particular we recommend visiting our gallery which will give you a sense of the different types of natural pools we have built and what we can offer you.  Our customer testimonials page also tells you what it is like to own a natural pool.

If you would like to receive our brochure or if you have any questions please call us on +44 (0)20 7183 3333 or email us

For press enquiries please call Rosie Inge of Churton Inge Associates on +44 (0)1749 670070.

We hope you enjoy your visit here. 

What are natural swimming pools?

Natural swimming pools are a prime example of how we can harness nature’s intelligence efficiently. They eliminate the need for chemicals and constant cleaning as their biological self-cleansing processes are completely effective. Surplus nutrients and impurities, as well as harmful bacteria, are transformed by plants and natural water organisms.

Because a proportion of a swimming pond's space can be devoted to aquatic plants, it is as much a garden feature as a pool and can be admired year round without the need to be covered at the end of summer. It is constantly alive and evolving, changing with the seasons, and even maturing over the years, allowing the plants to grow into their habitat.

How do natural swimming pools work?

Clear, clean water is the naturally occurring state in ponds and lakes if the body of water is large enough and deep enough, and natural swimming pools are purposely built to emulate this state.

This is the basic difference between a natural pool and a swimming pool – a conventional pool uses chemicals such as chlorine to kill bacteria, whereas a natural pool works with nature to cleanse the water organically. 

A natural swimming pool can look like a natural garden pond, but it actually consists of two zones – a deep, central swimming area, and a filtration area containing plants which help to purify the water.

The basic principle in a natural pool is to use the natural purifying properties of plants and micro-organisms to sustain a clean and healthy eco-system.  In addition we also use specially-chosen shingle in the filtration area which absorbs certain nutrients.  By keeping the levels of key nutrients low and in balance, algae is not able to grow and the result is clear, clean and healthy swimming water.

Can I convert my conventional swimming pool?

You can also convert your conventional swimming pool to a natural pool, keeping the original swimming area (or altering it if you wish) whilst adding a small filtration area to enable natural purification of the water. Or you can keep the existing structure of the swimming pool and create the two areas inside it - you can see a good example here.

Natural swimming pools have the benefits of conventional pools, with many additional advantages, for example low maintenance costs, no health risks, attractive all year round, safe and educational for children, and are uniquely designed to suit your garden and your tastes – no two natural pools are the same.

What about restoring my pond or lake?

We can also convert your pond or lake to a natural swimming pond.  This is an ideal way of keeping your existing water feature and attracting wildlife, while at the same time keeping it clean and being able to swim in it.

There are two main approaches - one is to clean out the whole pond and line it, similar in many ways to building a swimming pond from scratch.

The second approach is if the pond or lake is large and cleaning it out and lining it is impractical and/or too costly.  In these situations we can still work with the existing structure and water body to reduce the nutrients and still produce excellent water quality.

 
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"I love the natural beauty of it, the way it grows and becomes part of the garden.  Also the lovely clean feeling of the water, and the joy of swimming without chemicals like chlorine that we really shouldn't be allowing near our skin.  This whole summer we've been in it all the time.  It's absolutely fantastic."

Sacha Cole, Herts 

"The area is full of dragon and damsel flies and the swallows line up in the early evening, even when you are swimming, and dive down, into the sun, like small fighter planes, one at a time, mouths open, to take a drink, sometimes as many as 30... you feel very privileged to be so close to nature."

Michael Price, Midlands

"I find I can't stop looking at it... swimming in it is a magical experience.  It is so much more than a pool area could be - a place for wildlife and beautiful insects, like Emperor dragonflies: a place to work and just think about things."

Wendy Bathurst, Herts

"I was very inspired by Monet.  I saw the pond he would often paint and that's what inspired me do get this. I wanted my pond to be as natural as possible.  It has been everything I hoped for... I wanted something that would fit in with my wild garden, and it has done that beautifully - it looks as if it has always been there."

Surina Narula, Herts

"Most of our friends and neighbours were critical of the idea.  I think they expected a mud bath with a few rather mucky plants, but once they saw it - and saw what a feature it woudl make in the garden all year round - they were really enthusiastic.  You find yourself drawn to the space.  You want to just sit out there with a cup of tea, absorb the peace and contemplate the world."

Sean Moore, East Sussex

"The bonus for us has been the lift it has given the garden: the creation of a natural wildlife habitat, the pond life, the beauty and changing colours of the plants.  All very relaxing and not something we had anticipated.  I cannot imagine a pool ever having given us all that."

Toby Burton, Oxfordshire

"The pool's been an absolutely joy.  We don't have to to change the water as you do with a conventional pool and there are no chemicals to contend with.  Then there's the whole idea of swimming in fresh water, among the plants and flowers; it's actually better than I thought it would ever be."

Susie Warwick, Greece

"I was swimming every day this summer until the end of September.  It's been absolutely brilliant, the water quality is fantastic."

John Talbot, Cambridge

 

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gartenART Ltd, 35 Britannia Row, London N1 8QH, registered in England and Wales no 4910782, VAT no 831191353

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