Finding Lidos. Above – I’m wistfully looking at a once pool – Can you guess where this could this be? If you click it will give you a clue! Photo AGJ 2000. Contact anne@so-dive-in.co.uk Enlarge +
Finding Lidos
Why my passion and Lido Fever?!
A very early website- first attempts 1998 – found in Croydon Library. Thank you Neil Henderson
Welcome to my lost lidos site! Hope you’ll enjoy.
I actually started reminiscing and compiling in the early 90s! Thus there are older dates on the acknowledgements page.
Born into a swimming family, the competitive side of swimming and diving in various pools was enjoyed. I remember with much affection the wonderful visits with my parents around the seaside lidos, and having such fun with much happiness.
As time wore on realisation dawned that some of these favourite swimming and splashing haunts were slowly disappearing, and there was much nostalgia discovering this. Comfort was added to these feelings by going around physically, and carrying out research. This was stretched from the old days to present day and exercised an acute sense of curiousity. PCs and the internet were not the order of the day then.
Finding Lidos
Thanks to my husband Richard for his patience driving around from South to North, East to West during the 90s to visit the sites of these pools when finding lidos. They inevitably ended up with trips to the local libraries, and somehow Richard had to occupy his time! However, he definately thought that if he couldn’t beat this obsession he’d have to join in, and so he did!
Then…came the World Wide Web
First Website 1999
Second website 2001
The fact that I called my original Finding Lidos Site “So You Want To” was because it fell into a series of projects being worked on using that title, and what could be better than “So you want to find out about Lost Lidos” So it kind of stuck. Since the early days of basic learning about computers and web pages, other various sites have been produced on other topics, but I have reconstructed another Lost Lidos site in 2012 from the ones you see here and below. Sorry they are fuzzy.
Of course there are hundreds of Lido Sites these days and with much nostalgia attached.
There are extracts from soyouwantto on some – but do you know? I don’t mind at all so long as I receive a bit of acknowledgement and reference due to my early start and library research over the years.
Lido Fever
Finding Lidos. With all the campaigning going on – the WORLD WIDE WEB makes it a little easier. This helps and affects the speed and importance of promoting to save.
Campaigning becomes viral to preserve or restore ” beloved baths.” It widens and adds other dimensions to them, More writings and more websites, more clout to the cause and… the more the merrier. I try to help here, and publicise some of those at risk on this site, pooling lidos “Lido News” I’d go the whole hog, but web space has to be considered!
I often wonder if half the pools and wonderful lidos featured on this site had been born a little later, or world wide web invented earlier whether they could have been saved? Who knows.
Butlins
Finding Lidos. I have extra nostalgia for Butlins, but I keep this under cover! I have traipsed over the sites, and just enjoy all the associated web sites and contributions. Bygone Butlins is a wonderful website and… another story.
Wetsuits weren’t the norm then!
Do you remember this? it might well apply today after those wild open water swims! but wet suits weren’t the order of the day in days past so a drink of Bovril or Horlicks was well needed then. It was a familiar sound hearing the shshshsing and gurgling of the urns producing that hot cup of Cow & Gate.
As from the beginning, the main objective have not only presented facts, but I have also endeavoured to give “the feel” of the lidos and bring them back to life. Original newspaper cuttings have been used in most cases.
Added note: Being involved in the sport of diving some of my writing may reflect this. I’ve written and updated a book feature for children. The link on this site is -‘ Diving high – So Dive in!’
One day I’d love to turn this website possibly into a book….hmm….I’ll carry on adding my research because even in this modern technological age it’s still good to get a book down from the shelf and curl up and enjoy!
From Happy Lido Reading/Writing,
Anne
Campaigners Richard, yours truly and Bob having a sweep up at Kings Meadow Open Air Baths, Reading (on this site) – saved from the bulldozers. Now restored as “Thames Lido”
If you have your own memories and you like “Lost Lidos” please write to me using the direct contact form on my CONTACT page on this site. Or use directly the ‘leave a reply’ box at the end of each page. It will still come direct to me to approve or disapprove! (not very likely!) I’ll share them for others to enjoy too!
