When Dr. Vaughan took charge of the school he sow. caused duck-puddle' to be renovated ; the sides and bottom were paved, the top of the banks was slated over, dressing sheds were erected, and the water was supplied from an artesian well. In ast a caretaker was appointed, and a cottage built for him, and the lion's head was placed at the lower end of the bath.
One of the senior masters of the school, Mr. G. F. Harris, superintended the bathing about this period, and to his energy the vast improvements which have been made in the bathing place during recent years are largely due. A certain sum—being the surplus of receipts from the boys' parents over expenditure —was annually set aside by him and his successor, Mr. A. G. Watson, as a reserve for repairs, &c. ; and when this in 1878 was found to amount to twelve hundred pounds, it was felt that the time had arrived when an enlargement of the bath— which was then totally inadequate for the bathers—could be made, and a good supply of fresh water obtained from the town waterworks.
The scheme was quickly taken up, and the necessary funds rapidly obtained. Sir John Fowler, C.E., supplied the plans, and superintended the works gratuitously ; and on May 28, 188x, the new bathing place was opened by Dr. H. M. Butler, who throughout heartily co-operated in the work. It is to Mr. A. G. Watson that the carrying out of the final improve ments is largely due. He was in command for many years till 1891, when he resigned his mastership, and it is to him that we are indebted for the article in the Harrovian.'
Some idea of the vast improvement made can be gleaned from the following facts. The old bath was 230 feet long, and averaged 49 feet in width ; the present bath is Soo feet long, with a maximum width of too feet and an average width of 6o feet. The bottom and sides of the old and new portions are now lined with Portland cement, and the surrounding path is laid with asphalte instead of slates as before ; the Mater area was increased from 11,36o feet to 31,000 square feet. A glance at Sir John Fowler's plan will show that a system of movable lock-gates allows of the bath being emptied, cleaned, and refilled without stopping the bathing, a thing which was before utterly impossible. In the old days the necessity of emptying the whole of the bath for cleaning purposes frequently prevented the boys from bathing in the middle of the summer term.
The depth of the bath varies from about 3 feet 8 inches at the ends to 6 feet t inch near the bridge, which crosses the bath almost at its centre ; this bridge, which is of iron, has a span of 43 feet.
We cannot do better than finish this brief history of duck puddle' by quoting the verses composed in its honour by Mr. J. Robertson, then a master at Harrow, and afterwards head-master at Haileybury College, who evidently loved the old pool. The last four lines of the second poem will no doubt bring back pleasant memories to many old Harrovians.