Did you know there is considerable interest in a wooden shack at Advo’s Cobdown House offices?

The ‘shack’, a piece of Olympic history, is a sauna donated by the Finnish Government after the 1948 Olympics.

The Olympic Sauna sits on land surrounding Cobdown House and has unique status as the oldest and best preserved in the UK with a Grade II listing.

The considerable interest is due in part to the original features and excellent internal preservation creating a ‘time capsule’ back to the late 1940s. The Grade II listing was granted following a visit from the Finnish Ambassador in 2023. Over 75 years ago, the Finish Olympic team brought a prefab sauna to London for their athletes for the 1948 London Olympics. In 1954 it was donated to Reed paper Mills for its workers to enjoy, and here it remains, by Advo Offices.

When Advo bought Cobdown House and the surrounding area as the new head office, the intention was to bring back to life an important local landmark, a country house that had fallen into neglect. At this time, there was not an appreciation of the Sauna’s importance and its interesting journey.

Colin Boxall, Advo’s Executive Director commented “The building from the outside may not look impressive, but it’s importance in sporting and local history certainly is. Inside the preservation is stunning, a real glimpse into the past.

As owners there comes responsibility. We wish to ensure the long-term future of this important site and once work restoring Cobdown House is completed later this year our attention will shift to bringing the sauna back to life.”

(Above Picture: The Sauna in 1954 when placed in it’s current site and today)

(Above Picture: A glimpse of the inside)

Modern House Magazine wrote about the Sauna’s history in a recent publication, you can read the full history here.

A Pathé news story about the Sauna can be viewed here.

An example of the press interest when the sauna was granted Grade II listing, can be viewed here. There are further articles also, including on BBC, ITV, Guardian & Telegraph newspapers.