| Broomhill Pool | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 52°04′06″N1°08′28″E / 52.06834°N 1.141071°E | |
| Location | Sherrington Road, Ipswich |
| Opened | 1938 |
| Closed | 2002 |
| Owned by | Ipswich Borough Council |
| Architect | E. McLauchlan |
| Status | Grade II Listed |
| Length | 165 feet (50 m) |
| Width | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Website | The Broomhill Pool Trust |
Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
Broomhill Pool opened on 30 April 1938 and closed in the autumn of 2002. The pool is the deepest [1] lido in Britain (jointly with Hilsea Lido) at 15ft deep. At 55 yards x 20 yards and 8 lanes wide, the pool volume is 464,000 gallons/2.1 million litres of water.
The lido was built in 1938 for £17,000 by the County-Borough of Ipswich. It was designed by E. McLauchlan, the County-Borough Engineer and Surveyor.
Broomhill Pool became a Grade II listed building on 23 August 2001. [2] [3]
The lido is built within Broomhill Park. It is close to Broomhill Library which was built in 1942 as a WW2 bomb-proof decontamination unit. Broomhill Library was Grade II listed in 2012. English Heritage highlighted the "Group value: the relationship between the former gas decontamination centre and the adjacent Broomhill lido holds important group value; the style of the decontamination centre was designed to mirror the facade of the adjacent Broomhill Lido (listed at Grade II), and both were designed by Borough Engineer E. McLauchlan." [4]
Broomhill Pool is a founding member of Historic Pools of Britain: [5] "Established in 2015, Historic Pools of Britain is the first body ever to represent historic swimming pools in this country. These unique indoor and outdoor pools make a significant contribution to the social and architectural history of Britain and play a hugely important role in our communities."
Janet Smith wrote in her definitive book, "Liquid Assets" (Published 2005): "Broomhill may lack the national profile accorded to Saltdean, Tinside or Penzance, but it is arguably their equal in architectural significance."
The Broomhill Pool Trust is a registered charity (No.1102659) which aims to restore Broomhill Pool; the last remaining Olympic length, grade II listed lido in Suffolk & Norfolk for full public use.
In December 2017, Fusion Lifestyle secured Heritage Lottery Funding stage 2 full grant of £3.4m. Fusion will invest over £2m. [6] In August 2018 Ipswich Borough Council increased their commitment to £1.5m to secure the scheme. [7]
The £7.25m restoration commenced in 2020 and the pool was due to reopen in 2021, however this was delayed and the project now faced a shortfall in funding. [8]
In January 2024, a funding deal was finally struck between stakeholders Ipswich Borough Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fusion Lifestyle. The restoration is now looking toward completion in 2026. [9] [10]
On 12 December 2024, the restoration project's plans were approved by Ipswich Borough Council's planning department. [11] [12]