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. [1] [2] [3] Many lidos closed when foreign holidays became less expensive, but those that remain have a dedicated following. [4] The name Lido originated from the Lido di Venezia.
The first open air swimming pool that was officially called a lido was "The Edmonton Lido" in Houndsfield Road, Edmonton following reopening after refurbishment on 27 July 1935. The newly built "Tottenham Lido", opened on 5 June 1937, and the "West Ham Municipal Lido", opened on 30 August 1937 also in London, were officially called lidos from the outset. Elsewhere, the Woodford Times reported on 13 May 1932 on the new "Lido" being constructed at Whipps Cross. The Kentish Times on 9 June 1933 similarly carried the headline: "Lagoon 'Lido' Opened on Bank Holiday". Neither of these two pools was officially called a "lido" at that time, however. The term "lido" was also applied to several private sector swimming facilities, including Ruislip Lido (part of a reservoir) opened in May 1936 and Rush Green Lido in old gravel pits in Romford, Essex, in September 1935. [5] [ unreliable source? ] [6]
There were numerous lidos (particularly in London and the south-west), but since the 1930s hundreds have closed, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. [7] Today there are 127 lidos remaining open in England. [8] Notable examples in London are Brockwell Lido in Herne Hill, Parliament Hill Lido at Gospel Oak in Hampstead Heath and Tooting Bec Lido in South London. Examples beyond London include Jesus Green Swimming Pool in Cambridge, Sandford Parks Lido in Cheltenham, Ilkley Lido and Ingleton Lido further north in Yorkshire.
In 2005 English Heritage published Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air pools of Britain, by Janet Smith, produced as part of the Played in Britain series. The author had spent years researching (and swimming in) lidos around the country and her book explores the past, present and future of open air pools. It led to two major conferences in 2006: "Reviving Lidos" and "Making a Splash". [9]
Although there have been many setbacks, long-running campaigns have resulted in some important successes. In October 2006 the London Fields Lido re-opened in Hackney after a campaign lasting nearly 20 years; Droitwich Spa Lido also reopened after a six-year battle by the group SALT (Save a Lido Today); Brockwell Lido celebrated its 70th birthday on 10 July 2007; Clifton Lido reopened in 2008; [10] Wood Green Pool in Banbury reopened in 2009; [11] and Charlton Lido reopened in 2012. [12]
The campaign to save the Grade II* listed Saltdean Lido in East Sussex which closed in 2010 won significant funding, including over £2m from the Coastal Communities Fund, and a new community interest company started work on the pool in 2015, which reopened in 2017. [13] [14] The Edwardian King's Meadow swimming pool in Reading is being restored by the same group which rescued and re-opened the Clifton Lido in Bristol. The derelict Ynysangharad Lido in Pontypridd is also being restored as part of the local council's redevelopment plans. [15] Woburn Lido in Bedfordshire which opened in 1911 faced closure in 2013, but was saved from closure through the work of local residents. [16] [17] [18]
Other ongoing campaigns include reopening Broomhill Pool in Ipswich, Peckham Rye Lido in South East London, the Cleveland Pools at Hampton Row in Bath (where the historic Grade II* listed baths, which date back to 1815, are believed to be the oldest surviving public outdoor swimming pools in the country) and Grange Lido (another Grade II listed baths and the only Art Deco lido in the north of England). [19] [20]
Arundel Lido is situated in the town of Arundel within the South Downs National Park. It has heated pools, and grass areas surrounding the pools suitable for sunbathing and picnics. [21] Planning permission was granted in 2018 for the Lido Extended Activities Plan - Project LEAP to develop an all-year-round facility with heated changing facilities, a Gym, Community Hall and Cafe. [22]
Plymouth is home to the Tinside Lido, a 1935 Art Deco seawater pool built on the limestone shoreline at the base of Plymouth Hoe. The semi-circular lido also has three fountains and disabled access, and is open from May to September. [23]
A London-based organisation Thames Baths was created to develop plans for a new floating lido on the Thames at Embankment, seeking to crowd-fund the £10m cost of construction. [24] Thames Baths' design company Studio Octopi has also won a design competition for plans for the creation of a new lido at Peckham Rye, where one closed in 1987 and was demolished. [25] A new 40m bathing pond has already been created as part of King's Cross developments in North London. [26]
Clevedon's Marine Lake underwent an £850,000 renovation project that included de-silting the tidally topped up pool (about 16,000 tonnes of silt was removed), increasing access to the lake. The project was funded by Clevedon Town Council, Marlens (Marine Lake Enthusiasts), and North Somerset Council. [27]
Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæcelinga Stræt. It is now part of the A2, a major road from London to Dover. The road was important in Roman times linking London to the coast at Richborough and Dover via Canterbury. It was a route for pilgrims in the Middle Ages as portrayed in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, when Old Kent Road was known as Kent Street. The route was used by soldiers returning from the Battle of Agincourt.
Grange-over-Sands is a town and civil parish on the north side of Morecambe Bay in Cumbria, England, a few miles south of the Lake District National Park. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 4,114, increasing at the 2021 census to 4,279. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the town became administered as an urban district in 1894. Though the town remains part of the Duchy of Lancaster, since 2023 it has been administered as part of the Westmorland and Furness Council area.
The Public Library and Baths on Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, form one of many pairings of baths and libraries in Birmingham, England.
The Tepid Baths is a public indoor pool complex in Auckland, New Zealand. The baths opened in 1914 on a site that had previously been occupied by a small drydock and were very well-received by the public, with the new baths attracting 30,000 visitors in the first two months after opening.
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.
The Lido, Bristol is a historic lido situated in Oakfield Place in the Whiteladies Road area of Clifton, Bristol, England. Originally opened in approximately 1850, the pool eventually fell into disrepair and was closed in 1990. Despite being considered for demolition, the building was given Grade II* listed building status in 1998. It was purchased by the Bristol Glass Boat Company who restored the pool, for its reopening in November 2008.
Finchley Lido is a leisure complex at grid reference TQ266911, just east of the suburb of North Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet.
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.
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground or built above ground, and may be found as a feature aboard ocean-liners and cruise ships. In-ground pools are most commonly constructed from materials such as concrete, natural stone, metal, plastic, composite or fiberglass, and can be of a custom size and shape or built to a standardized size, the largest of which is the Olympic-size swimming pool.
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.
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.
Stonehaven Open Air Swimming Pool, Queen Elizabeth Park, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, is an Olympic sized heated open air public pool opened in 1934. It is the northernmost lido in the UK.
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.
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.
Teddington Pools and Fitness Centre is a public swimming pool and fitness centre owned and operated by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames located in Vicarage Road, off the A313, in Teddington.
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.
Charlton Lido is a swimming pool and leisure centre in Hornfair Park, Charlton, southeast London.
Jubilee Pool is an Art Deco lido in Penzance, Cornwall. It is Grade II listed, being recognised as the finest surviving example of its type with the exception of Saltdean Lido. With a capacity of 5 million litres and 600 swimmers and measuring 300 feet long and 160 feet wide, it is the UK's largest seawater pool.
The pool water is heated by solar panels on the roof. The Victorian Clifton Lido in Bristol has reopened after two decades and a £2m revamp.
The £1.5m refurbishment included altering the depth levels, upgrading the water circulation system and improving the overall appearance of the pool.
English Heritage's decision to classify the 1930s lido at Grange-over-Sands as a listed building has been described as 'bonkers' by a businessman who has vowed to fight the decision.
It's the last remaining lido in the north of England after the demolition and infilling of similar structures at Blackpool, Scarborough and Morecambe
Initial designs for the Thames Baths, which is to open next year on the Victoria Embankment if planning permission is granted, feature a 25-metre by 10-metre main pool, filtration system and pool-side decking.Accessed 27 June 2017
The plans include a 50m heated pool surrounded by smaller natural pools that would draw water from the underground River Peck which runs directly beneath the site.Accessed 27 June 2017
Nestled between several large building sites at the end of Cubitt Park, just north of Regent's Canal, the King's Cross Pond Club will be a new kind of hybrid swimming experience: a synthetic, unheated swimming pond, filtered by plants and surrounded by nature.Accessed 27 June 2017
