Morecambe – Super Swimming Stadium. Dug out 1935 opened 1936!
Morecambe – Super Swimming Stadium 1936
‘Morecambe was set for the costliest yet most popular enterprise.’
The £130,000 Swimming Pool was opened by Sir Josiah Stamp. He was President of the L.M.S (London Midland and Scottsh Railway?? inset) July 27th 1936.
The pool remarkably took only 13 months to take shape. The basin of the baths was in formation during June 1935, and by…
The Super Swimming Stadium Basin dug out June 1935 Morecambe and Lancaster Local collections 1994 Lynn Willman 1994
The Super Pool complete in July 1936! Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections 1994 Lynn Willman
…July 1936 was ready to open.
Proud Committee at the Opening. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections 1994 Lynn Willman
The first Baths Manager for Morecambe was Mr Leonard Flook. He was invited to judge the final heat of the Miss Great Britain contest.
The two faces of Mr Leonard Flook, first Baths Manager. The Guardian August 1973. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections Lynn Willman 1994
Morecambe was the fore- runner for holding Beauty Contests. It was the idea of Mr Leonard Flook.
‘Nobody had thought about it before!’
Click on picture to go to Pathe clip. It’s not all roses to be a Beauty Queen Brrr!
The winner of the very first contest received £50 and a cup. The past Sunday Dispatch sponsored it and then it evolved into the Miss Great Britain and World Contest.
The super swimming stadium was one of Morecambes proudest features. National and International swimming and aquatic events were staged throughout the year.
Young Children took their “Blue Seagull Award” Original main picture Morecambe and Lancaster Local Studies Lynn Willman 1994
Visited by 27,000 bathers in two days! This majestic pool opened 7 days a week including floodlit bathing. It was the longest open air pool in Europe.
Beauty Pageant Miss Great Britain 1969 – in colour. Click picture to go to the Pathe clip
Good views of the pool in these clips. Judging Stars included Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, and Wilfred Pickles to judge Miss Great Britain.
Busy Lido Morecambe and Lancaster Local Studies Lynn Willman 1994
Young children earned their “Blue Seagull Award” for swimming one length of the pool. The pool was a massive 396″ft x 110 ft. There were Aqua shows every year – exhibition diving and the resident “Aquacascades”
It was announced that the super swimming stadium would not be included in the holiday guide for 1975. The stadium would not open again due to structural defects. It was always hoped that once structural engineers had been approached this beautiful pool would come alive again, but it was not to be. It was demolished in 1976, part of which was changed for use as a Dolphinarium, then eventually all gone, and became a Leisure Park[…]
Read more…St. Leonards, Hastings. Another vast swimming arena
The famous Morecambe “Aqucascades” . Taken from the 1963 Official Guide to Morecambe. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections. Lynn Willman 1994
The Finality
From proud opening …
Happy and proud moment
to…
Gone!
The Super Swimming Stadium no more. 1976. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections. 1994 enlarge + Lynn Will man 1994
The Site of the Swimming Stadium today. The Leisure Park
Many visits to my Morecambe page since ITV The Bay Episode 6 was shown . The Lido in question was Grange over Sands which featured in the episode…
Campaigns are in progress to save this lovely designed Lido
Site of Morecambe swimming stadium. Geo reference 1949-69 map. Will expand to full view ++
Wow an incredible find. Thank you so much for sharing this information. As i walk past the 2 murals still there are to this day inspirational. Surely with today’s technology it could once again work.
Morecambe bay has so much to offer and possibly one with a healthy population of both old and young families who stay for generations.
Can’t beat a lot of open water swimming and beauty competitions. Annual events is our heritage something to work towards
Thank you for your letter regarding “lost pools” and the information you have placed on the site, which I have looked at and enjoyed.” Lynn, Librarian Morecambe.