Thames Lido | |
---|---|
Location | King's Meadow, Reading, Berkshire |
Opened | 1902 |
Closed | 1974 |
Owned by | Reading Borough Council |
Type | Lido |
Former name(s) | Ladies Swimming Bath |
Status | Grade II Listed |
Length | 37 metres (121 ft) |
Width | 14 metres (46 ft) |
Website | thameslido |
The Thames Lido, formerly known as the King's Meadow swimming pool, is an open-air swimming pool or lido located in King's Meadow in Reading, Berkshire. It was first opened to the public in 1903 as the Ladies Swimming Bath and is believed to be the oldest surviving outdoor municipal pool of a similar early Edwardian era. In August 2004, as a result of a campaign, the building was awarded Grade II listed building status. It re-opened in 2017 after three years of restoration.
The pool traces its ancestry back to 1860 as a bathing area. In 1879, Reading Corporation (now Reading Borough Council) built the largest pool in the South of England, 260 ft (79 m) x 80 ft (24 m), but for men only.
The current pool 120 ft (37 m) x 45 ft (14 m) was built in 1902 near the men's pool (now demolished) so that women could also swim there. It had changing booths and showers and a very high degree of architectural detail, most of which was manufactured locally. The water supply was originally fed from the nearby River Thames.
During the 1950s the water treatment method for the pool changed to mains supply. A heating system was installed, but never used. The pool was closed to the public in 1974, reopening in Autumn 2017.
During the 1990s, the Reading Sub Aqua Club took a lease on the premises and established a non-swimming meeting place, with an intention of creating a regional diving trading centre. The outside of the building became graffitied, vandalised and fell into disrepair. Reading Borough Council invited proposals for the future of the site [1] and, in April 2009, developers Askett Hawk were given permission to build a hotel at the site. [2]
In September 2009, the council rejected the proposal to grant a 250-year lease to Askett Hawk and decided to give a local campaign group the opportunity to develop a scheme to restore the pool for public use. [3]
In 2015 Reading Borough Council approved the renovation of the Lido. The restoration was completed in 2017; as well as reopening the pool, there is a restaurant, small spa and private dining facilities. [4] [5]
Brockwell Lido is a large lido in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, London. It opened in July 1937, closed in 1990 and after a local campaign was re-opened in 1994. Two ex council employees Paddy and Casey took on the running of the Lido for the community. Lambeth council gave Paddy & Casey a peppercorn lease rate from 1994–2001. Lambeth gave them a one-year extension in 2002 whilst a public consultation was held to decide on the longer term sustainable future of the Lido.
Tooting Bec Lido is an open-air fresh water swimming pool in South London. It is the largest fresh water swimming pool by surface area in the United Kingdom, being 100 yd (91.4 m) long and 33 yd (30.2 m) wide.
Sandford Parks Lido is a Grade II Listed heated outdoor swimming pool in Cheltenham, England. The lido consists of a 50-metre main pool, a children's pool, and paddling pool. The main pool is heated to 24-26 °C and children's pool to 30 °C. The lido is open from March until October each year for the summer season (heated) and has been open from early November until early February over the winter for cold water swimming since 2021.
Hampton Pool is a heated open air pool or lido in Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is unusual for being open 365 days of the year. It is currently managed by YMCA St Paul’s Group.
Caversham Court is a public garden and was a mansion located on the north bank of the River Thames in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The park lies within the St Peter's conservation area. The park is listed as Grade II in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Finchley Lido is a leisure complex at grid reference TQ266911, just east of the suburb of North Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet.
King's Meadow is a park in Reading, Berkshire, England, located next to the River Thames. It stretches from the Coal Woodland to King's Meadow Road near Reading Bridge. The Thames Path long distance footpath runs through the length of King's Meadow, which is visible from the railway when entering or leaving Reading railway station from the eastern side.
Cleveland Pools located in Hampton Row, Bath, Somerset, England is a semi-circular lido built to designs by John Pinch the Elder in 1815. It is believed to be the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in the UK. It is a Grade II* listed building.
Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
Saltdean Lido at Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, in the city of Brighton and Hove, in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England, is an Art Deco lido designed by architect R.W.H. Jones. Originally listed at Grade II by English Heritage for its architectural and historical importance, its status was upgraded further to "Grade II*" on 18 March 2011.
Pells Pool is a public outdoor swimming baths or lido in Lewes, East Sussex, England. The original structure was built in 1860 making it the oldest freshwater outdoor public swimming baths in the United Kingdom that is still operating.
Oasis Sports Centre is a leisure centre in Holborn, London, operated by Better on behalf of the London Borough of Camden.
The Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex is a leisure centre in Uxbridge, operated by Better (GLL) on behalf of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The complex is centred on the Grade II listed outdoor swimming pool, known as Uxbridge Lido until 2010, when the newly built centre and refurbished pool were opened. A new indoor pool was built beside the lido as part of the redevelopment works, opening in February 2010, followed a day later by the outdoor pool.
The Lymington Open Air Sea Water Baths is a lifeguarded open air lido in Lymington, Hampshire, England. Built in 1833, it is the oldest lido in the United Kingdom, and at 110 metres long by 50 metres wide it is also one of the largest in area. The baths reopened in 2010 following a campaign by local people who also completed the baths' refurbishment.
Camberwell Public Baths opened in 1892 and has been in continuous operation as publicly funded community baths and more recently as a public leisure centre.
Haggerston Baths is a former public bath in Haggerston, London. It was opened in 1904 and were built at a cost of £60,000. There was a single pool, 91 slipper baths and a 60 stall wash house.
The golden age of lidos in the United Kingdom was in the 1930s, when outdoor swimming became popular, and 169 were built across the UK as recreational facilities by local councils. Many lidos closed when foreign holidays became less expensive, but those that remain have a dedicated following. The name Lido originated from the Lido di Venezia.
Pools on the Park is a Grade II listed swimming pool and leisure facility in Old Deer Park in Richmond, London. Construction on the 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) site started in 1964 and was completed in 1966; the architect was Leslie Gooday. The pool replaced the previous Richmond baths nearby which had been built in Parkshot in 1882.
Grange Lido is an open-air 50 m sea-water swimming pool, or lido, in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England. It opened in 1932 and closed in 1993, but campaigners are working to see it re-opened as a swimming pool. The lido is in Art Deco style, and is grade II listed.
51°27′37″N0°57′55″W / 51.4602°N 0.9654°W