Malvern Park Lido – Solihull -1954-1982. A lunch hour getaway
Malvern Park Lido above – A glimpse of days gone by. The brightly coloured welcoming cubicles now gone. Thank you Darren Webb and Solihull Library
Malvern Park Lido started its days as nothing more than a pond.
It lay in the midst of the Malvern Hall Estate.
The estate changed hands many times since 1660 up until 1931 when it came into posession of Solihull’s Rural District Council. It became Solihull High School for Girls, until the 1970s when it became co-educational and named Malvern Hall once again.
The result of the nurtured Lido. Courtesy of Solihull Library
A wooded area surrounded the pool but the trees were felled to make way for Park Avenue and Brueton Avenue to be built.
The Lido was situated almost at the end of a quiet peaceful tree lined avenue
The Lido was privately owned until the Council purchased it in 1954. In early life it was very primitive says Mrs Hatfield – “it had washed shale on the bottom, but each year something was added. e.g. one end of the pool was concreted, followed by the other end the next year. The next year showers may be fitted , then steps and then a slide.”
The water was changed 4 hourly, but the temperature of the water depended upon how much sun the pool caught during the day. At the time it was not permitted to have fuel for heating up the water.
This was all well and good before the patrons were used to central heating and the cheap package holidays abroad where the sun was guaranteed[…]
Read more…Shirley Lido. A very short life
Many families used the lido not just for swimming in any case. It was an idyllic spot with lovely surroundings to take picnics, make new friends and for families to congregate together with their children to play and splash about happily.
The hardy bathers entered the water, however the temperature of the water hovered around 66 – 72 degrees at its height.
Very soon an indoor pool at Tudor Grange became competition.
Although thousands fed through the turnstiles during sizzling summers, even forming long queues, in between times the patrons slowly dwindled. The pool very much relied on the high temperatures of summer which was not consistent and frequently with accompanying chilly winds.
From about the late 1970s, the pool seemed to be on borrowed time, especially one very hot summer the ticket holders were down on prior attendances.
Extra activities took place such as scuba diving and canoe lessons and even Wellington the Snake was a much honoured guest. The local supporters of the pool campaigned hard to keep it open during the 70s and early 80s
Hey Day Malvern Park Lido. Courtesy of Darren Webb
There was no doubt that when the temperatures soared the bathers were there , but this didn’t make up the loss of £7000 a year, but after heavy campaigning the Council gave it another chance.
There were multiple reprieves to keep the pool open season after season. Indeed the Council gave it a face-lift spending £7000 hoping for a good hot season.
The Lido opened every day between 10a.m and 1.45pm and 2.30pm to 18.30 pm from May until September the 5th and on hot days there were long queues to get in. Many workers couldn’t be bothered to go home for lunch – instead the lido was the place to be.
Despite being a wonderful place the lido entered trial periods to see if it was worth keeping open – it’s sister lido the Greswolde in Knowle had already closed down
OUTCOME:
The scene of past frolics and diving from the boards. Courtesy of Darren Webb.
As the result of financial loss and then unfortunately, continuing with high expense for maintenance and structural repairs, the Lido sadly closed in 1982. The pool was left to decay for more than a decade. There were plans to turn it into an indoor pool, there were even plans to reopen it as a Lido.
Decisions were not to be finalised and meanwhile the pool was just left totally neglected.
The Lido today. Diving boards far end. Courtesy of Darren Webb
Will expand to full view. Geo referenced 1949-69 map.
The Lido is still there, hidden by woodland, situated behind and to the right of St Martins Sixth Form College.
Nothing has been done but there are still the lingering memories and hot sizzling days of its time.
Contribution received from Steve Beauchampe 28/07/16
Malvern Park Lido
“Adults pool, children’s pool, kiosk. Aereator (?), diving stage, deckchairs also available. Water changed completely every four hours but in post war period (up to c1951) water temperature depended on amount of sunshine as pool owners not permitted fuel to heat them. Purchased by Solihull Council in early 1954 for £12,000. Pool closed in 1982 as a result of increasing losses and structural problems. Initially considered for residential development, site was sold to St. Martin’s School in 1988, who originally planned to construct an indoor pool and drama studio that never came to fruition. Unsuccessful application for lottery funding to re-open lido in 1988.”
I had a wander around but the lido was difficult to locate midst the woodland. Does anyone remember this Lido. Can you add what it was like to swim here?
Lovely info. Glenn – thanks! Situated in nice area too. Anne
My Dad and Uncle ( Tony and Geoff Dann ) were lifeguards from the early 60’s through to when it closed in 1982. I have such fond memories of walking to the pool with Dad and my brother Steven ( who also worked as a life guard for a while ). We used to arrive at 8a.m. and help Dad sweep the leaves from the bottom of the pool. We also helped out in the building where they kept the clothes baskets. It had it’s own unique smell. Dad taught me to swim at this pool. The water was always very cold but as kids, we didn’t care. At lunchtime, it closed for a while and we used to have the pool to ourselves. Wonderful times. The Bishops ( Chris and Chris ) were ‘custodians’ of the pool and we were very close for many years. Their house was literally adjacent to the pool.
Learned to swim there, along with my three brothers, still remember the cold shock of diving into its icy waters, and the smell of chlorine . Mum would take us there a couple of times a week and the old man loved it because it was like army training, and turned us into hardy souls.Can still remember my younger brothers blue lips . Transistor radios on the lawn outside the kiosk playing the swinging blue jeans and Billy J Kramer and bubble gum on the paving slabs! Wish I could be there again
Love this post such good memories
I used to live in Park Avenue and regularly used the lido in the late 70s and early 80s before it closed. I’m now 51 and living in Dubai. But I have very fond memories of the place. Black Jacks and Fruit Salads were two for half a penny. The large Refresher chews were 2p each. And they did the best ever instant chicken soup – which after spending time in the freezing water was exactly what you needed. I remember the wire baskets for your clothes and the diving boards. But by my time, you were only allowed to jump off the top board, not dive, as the water wasn’t actually deep enough and there were too many cracked heads. As an earlier contributor wrote, we always went without parents, even as young as 6. There were life guards and I lived on the same road. It’s just how things were back then. Blissful times. None of us came to any harm and we learned how to look out for one another, follow the rules, and do what adults told us – whoever they were.
I used to go there in the 70’s. We loved it in the summer. I was probably no more than 10 years old and a group of us children would go for the day while our moms worked at the Civic Hall. We never went with an adult . Quite unbelievable really . Very happy memories
So interesting to read memories of this iconic Lido. I lived in Solihull near the Rover works in Lode Lane, cycling to Malvern park and teaching myself to swim in this seriously cold water pool in the late fifties. Seeing the pictures of the changing huts does help recall the pool layout with entrance pool and grassed cafe area. If my memory serves me correctly, we were given wire baskets to store our clothes in leaving them in the attended clothes store. I was surprised to read that the pool remains today, although derelict and overgrown. I also recall the Greswolde sister pool, as a chef working at the hotel in 1960 there were “over the fence” late night swims again in very cold water!.
My brother and I biked there from Shirley a few times, but the water was so cold. I also remember going there from school at least once, as it was conveniently just the other side of the back fence.
what is the lido site now?
Hi live in nz now and am 77 yrs young.We lived in yardley and used to visit Solihull Lido in the late 50s early 60s.Fun times .I agree with the comments lovely when the sun was shining but mighty cold when it wasn’t.I still remember diving in when I was about 12 and getting an instant headache it was so cold.I wondered what happened to it.
I had a school friend whose Mum used to work for Cadbury’s at Bournville and I have always thought we went there because it belonged to Cadbury’s. Obviously my memory deceives me. She used to take us there in about 1962 – a long distant memory but I really loved it there and have often wondered over the years just where it was and what happened to it. Thank you for your article
My aunt and uncle and my 3 cousins used to live at the house overlooking the lido (now part of St Martin’s/Solihull School). Their names were Chris & Christine Bishop, Adrian, David & Becky. Chris looked after the running of the lido. They moved out in the late 80s, which I imagine is when the lido closed down. Christine died in 1994 and Adrian in early 2000s. I have since pretty much lost contact with the family, although I understand Chris and Becky are down in Cornwall and David, I believe is around Bristol.
I also remember a lad whose mum I think worked in the shop. His name was Terry – I don’t remember the mother’s. I remember the little fountain just through the turnstile, and the little changing rooms around the perimeter! Good times!
The caretaker Mr Bishop live with his family in the house that overlooked the pool. I remembered his children being in and around the pool. I used it a lot in 1973 when I was 15. Our gang would meet up at the shelter in the park and walk to the Lido. We didn’t swim as we used it as a meeting place. Towels down on the grassed area in front of the cafe and we had a radio. It was a way to meet up with the local girls
I used to go to this Lido most weekend’s weather permitting in the late 50 early 60s with my Mom Dad and sometimes family members and friends although we used to live in Solihull we used to spend most the day there .At the entrance there was a small round pool with a tall fountain in the middle..was supposed to be for small children to paddle in..The changing rooms were wooden with a wooden plank as a seat and a hook on the back of the door.you couldn’t leave your clothes in there you had to take them out with you.I could go on about this Lido but enough is enough..I think I still have photos of me and this pool ..But I will have to look deep to find them.
Should anyone want anymore info I will be happy to assist..
Kind Regards..VanessaThorne.
Hi Vanessa, thank you for this! very interesting. Do you have any pictures you are willing to contribute?
Via contact form
My parents used to run the cafe at solihull lido in the early 60s. So nice to see pictures of it!
Anne – Nice to hear Tracy, thankyou. My sister swam there