Press Release 05/2013
Interview:
The Pool is Magical
Sarah and WillMurch from the company Natural Pools UK, built a show pool in their garden two years ago, and this year their Natural Swimming Pool is in its third season. The company trained with the Austrian system provider BIOTOP - the world market leader with 57 partner companies worldwide.
It was certainly a brave decision to offer Natural Swimming Pools for sale in the unpredictable climate of North Nottinghamshire,but two years on that decision has proved to be a good one. We asked Sarah about the pool this March, as the couple open it readiness for the swimming season: ‘’We just got the entire system working today – millstones and jets under the walkway all bubbling, the skimmer is working and the gravity and pumped water systems all doing the right thing – it really looks amazing, like it has been there for a long time.”
The Murch family “burns” with enthusiasm and we would like to convey some of this fire to our readers. Perhaps the spark will catch.
Q: What is it that you like best about your show pool?
Sarah:It is hard to say what we like about the pool the most – I think it has given us a place and reason to simply sit and enjoy ourselves – something we rarely did before. It is not just about the swimming, although that is amazing of course. Every nice evening in summer, we eat out on the deck together and enjoy spending time by the water’s side.
Q: Describe your Natural Pool to our readers. We were surprised at how large the pool is.
Sarah:Fortunately, we have a lot of space and we thought: If we’re going to do it, then let’s do it properly. We started building our show pool here at Ellicar Gardens in June 2010 and completed it by November, finishing the planting in spring 2011. The pool is 300sqm, has a deep end 2.75 meters deep, a shallow end with curved, paved steps, and a gentle sloping beach that little children love playing in. The pool, 28 meters long, is ideal for swimming lengths, as well as for having fun. The jetty, stepping stones and ‘floating’ penny deck allow you to wander right out to the water. They are great resting places in between swimming, too. Visitors are amazed by the clarity of our pool-it is like looking into a giant aquarium – in fact you can see the face on a penny at the bottom of the deep end!
Q: One of the reasonsfora Natural Poolisthe argument that there is no bigblue hole in thegarden in the winter.
Sarah:Yes, the water remainsin thepoolyear roundcreating a beautiful water feature that changes with the seasons.The pool is constantly changing – it has moods like the sky – sometimes it is dark and reflective, other times the water sparkles like a million diamonds. It changes, as the garden does, with the seasons with exquisite flowering Marginals in spring, plump water lilies throughout summer and later the reeds take on subtle autumnal hues. Winter is a great time for tree silhouettes reflected on the water’s surface and the pool sits like a giant mirror in the garden bouncing the soft winter light around. It is not without reason that natural pools are also called “sky mirrors”.
Q: What do the children think of the pool?
Sarah: The children spend hours exploring with a mask and snorkel. The pool is a magnet for wildlife -throughout summer we enjoy swimming with swallows dipping amongst us. Each summer’s evening a little bat patrols the water and we love sitting watching wildlife drink from the beach, and dragonflies like mini helicopters darting amongst the reeds. This year’s top wildlife visitor was a kingfisher! Above all the pool is restorative – time seems to slow down by the water and we now enjoy simply sitting and relaxing in our garden.
Q: What time of year can you start swimming?
Sarah:The children will swim even in winter! Will had the first swim end of March – but at 9 degrees it was quite chilly without a wetsuit! Even with the cold spring this year the pool is already 16 degrees (15th April) and we are all starting to swim- the water is very enticing! Due to the shallow regeneration zone the water warms up relatively quickly, and from May onwards even the most sensitive visitors enjoy swimming. Despite the cold, wet summer last year the water temperature was rarely below 19/20 degrees and on a hot day it rapidly went up to 24/25 degrees, so we were in the pool every day – it is hard to get the children out of the water!
Q: How does the pool work? How is the water cleaned?
Sarah:The pool is a self-supporting ecosystem with its own special reed bed filtration, and attractive water plants. There are absolutely no chemicals, just pure water. Will and I are fascinated by the biomechanics of the water, the interaction of the flora and fauna and the delicate natural balance of the pool. Like a conventional pool it has a skimmer, a pump to circulate the water, and is built using the leading BIOTOP system.
As a pool building team, Andrew and Paul, who constructed the pool, love the hard landscaping – the paved steps, mill stones, beach and deck. Will loves all the pump house equipment, the way the pool works, the wildlife, and I love the shape, the water, the design and the plants. Together we are so proud of the crystal clear water and the way the pool functions both from a user point of view and from a garden aesthetic point of view.
Q: What still has to be done so that the new swimming season can begin?
Sarah:The equipment is already running, we have cut back the old reeds and hoovered the pool floor and now it’s ready for the summer season. We have just put the deck chairs out and are planning an outdoor kitchen and fire pit so we can spend even more time down by the water!
The pool is magical.
You can visit the Natural Swimming Pool at Ellicar Gardens on the open garden days:
- June 9th 2013: Gringley Open Gardens, 1-5pm
- June 16th 2013: National Garden Scheme, 1-5pm
- September 15th 2013: National Garden Scheme, 1-5pm
Anyone interested in trying the pool please feel free to contact Sarah and Will:
Natural Pools UK
Ellicar House
Carr Road
Gringley on the Hill
Doncaster
DN104SN
Tel.: 01909 485621
Fax: 01909 484285
Klosterneuburg, April 15, 2013 (5,600 characters)
Further information:
Martina Aigner
BIOTOP Landschaftsgestaltung GmbH
Hauptstrasse 285
A-3411 Klosterneuburg/Weidling
Tel.: +43 2243 30406-20
NUMBERS & FACTS – Natural Show Pool Murch Family, Doncaster, UK
Construction year / 2010Water depth / 2.75m to 1.20 m
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT:
Phostec Filter for top up water, carbonators, jets and 2 millstones for return water, pumped plant filter, gravity beach filter, regeneration zone, hot tub.
Under water lighting / Underwater spotlights, mill stone uplighters, fibre optic lighting in the jetty
BIOFILTER plant filter: / 75 m²
Regeneration area / 75 m²
Swimming area / 150 m²
TOTAL SURFACE Natural Pool / 300 m²
Digital photo material:
“The Pool is Magical”
Photo 1 Photo 2
Photo 3 Photo 4
Photo 5 Photo 6
Photo 7 Photo 8
Captions:
Photos 1, 2 and 3: The Murch family’s show pool is a feast for the eyes.
Photos 4 and 5: The children spend hours exploring.
Photo 6: An autumn evening by Sarah and Will’s natural pool.
Photo 7: And this is how it all began: Sarah and Will mark the area for excavation.
Photo 8: Half-time: the pool before the liner is laid and before the substrate is brought in.
All digital photos are available for use free of charge.
As source please specify - Photo: biotop-natural-pool.com
If published, we kindly ask you to send a copy to:
BiotopLandschaftsgestaltung GmbH, Hauptstrasse 285, 3411 Weidling, Austria