Lido News and pooling some chosen information from around UK. Keep up to date
Note from Anne – links, circumstances and information change – some updating in progress! 2023.
Tributes
Central Pool Reading – Lost Lidos Webpage
‘Goodbye Our Friend ‘September 2nd 1966 – 31st January 2018’
…also Arthur Hill Memorial Pool
‘A great loss to the Community’
A FEW CHOSEN PUBLICATIONS – BOOK/WEB
Abergavenny Lido – ‘Bring it back!’ See also @Abergavenny Lido – Facebook Group
Baths and Washhouses – Historical Archive
Bathurst Bathing Belles – Ladies that Swim. Photographic record by Amanda Harwood.ISBN:978-1-5272-0765-3
Coate Water – Swindon Lost Lidos webpage – as it used to be
Dawdon Pit Pool A feature by BBC. Dawdon Colliery Pool also featured on Lost Lidos webpage!“A Commonwealth Gold Medallist trained in the pool every hour of every day in the year.”
Derelict London (Pools)
Derelict Diving Boards
Hayfield Park Hall Pool What a haven! – then and now. Modern Mooch. DISUSED (utube video)
History of LidoLido.org.uk Website Directory of all Open and Closed Lidos – Oliver Merrington Unavailable ‘
‘It is with great sadness I have learned of Oliver’s passing. We were, at last able to meet up at Woburn Lido after many many email communications and our mutual love of lidos. It was a privilege and great to meet up and will hold the memory. He will be sorely missed not only in Lidoland and his Lido Yahoo Group, but in his other major pursuits. He was Curator of the Waterbeach Military Heritage Museum. A considerable loss ‘
Londonist – thank you for the mention! also for Oliver’s site above.
Lost Lidos of Wales
‘My life on the boards and in the pools‘ – A time gone by, now lost or change of use. (Story – A Swimming Times Publication)My life on the boards and in the pools
Municipal Dreams – Jubilee Pool Penzance Ron Blundell’s Minehead
Swell’ – by Jenny Landreth on Kindle. HB:978-1-4729-3894-7 “I am enjoying it”
Sparkhill Baths Birmingham. A pool so loved. Baths and Washhouses. Now totally rebuilt. The Baths today
Sue Bonner’s Handsworth Baths. Also mentioned on Lost Lidos webpage
The Secret Swimming Pond The Outdoor Swimming Society –
Thimblemill Baths – Smethwick. All about Ghosts ! Extra news 2022- sadly this lovely historic swimming pool is now closed.Ghosts in the dungeons! Thimblemill Baths
The Seaside Lido
Tom Clemett’s – Images of Barry This features The Knap Lido. Very interesting.
Victorian Turkish Baths by Malcolm Shifrin
Windsor Pools History Lovely siteAT RISK – ONGOING ♥ WISHES ♥ HOPES ♥ CAMPAIGNS ♥ PLANS
Abingdon Abbey Meadows Pool
Abergavenny – It’s already gone – covered in grass – BRING IT BACK!
Brixham Sea Water Pool – Shoalstone Pool – Devon
Broomhill Pool – Ipswich...and loads of pictures of the Past and now… looking to the Future
Brynaman Lido – New team making fresh effort to re open the Lido. Hope has been in the balance.
Buckfastleigh Pool Devon – much effort to keep going.
Grange-over-Sands Updated Campaign ‘It’s begun’. Enjoy the video and click onto a wow! gallery.
Hilsea Lido today and news 2022 and… A look at the past
London Pools Campaign
Maldon Lake – Bring back swimming, paddle boating Sign petition
MOSELEY ROAD BIRMINGHAM
Otley Pool – Friends of Otley
Peckham Rye Lido Just a grass hump today. A wonderful location to warrant restoration. Scroll ‘stories’ on this site
Apparently this once jewel is still there…buried. Some history – are we getting closer? – now closed
Tarlair Tidal Pool. Will it be or won’t it be? An example of ‘the passion’ Beautiful pictures of a once idyllic pool
The Knap Lido GONE at present. Rebuilding wanted.
Twickenham Lido Plans GONE These plans abandoned for now?
Tynemouth Lido Much anticipation. Lovely little videos and links to History.LIDOS DISUSED OR GONE. The Battles Lost.
Arthur Hill Memorial Baths Reading – The Timeline story. (Now closed and converted. Facade remains.}
Also on this website Lost Lidos
Haggerston Pool. History. To become a multi shopping complex? oh dear
Highfields Lido – Nottingham Came across this wonderful article in the Lenton Times
Kenilworth Pool The Story behind its closure
Kings Cross Pond. in the middle of a building site. Now sadly GONE! A wonderful colourful pictorial history of the POND and Club
‘Opened in the May 2015 as an arts & event space and a unique swimming experience in London.’
Bathers in the King’s Cross Pond Club. Click to enlarge. Wonderful!
Oldham Baths One last look around. New leisure Centre built.
Oxford Temple Cowley Pools GONE! The site proposed replacement
Ringhall Deer Leap Google search pictures. Friends and their Memories
Southwark Park Lido by local historian Pat Kingwell
Sparkhill Baths Birmingham plans for demolishing and total redevelopment GONE Modern replacement on site
Stirchley Baths Bourneville No longer a swimming pool. Now a Commnity Hub. A marvellous history of the Baths
Treherbert Pool Wales
LIDO NEWS ON THE SURVIVING AND RESTORED
These few lidos below ran into difficult times at some point. Closure, threats, abandonment, dereliction and decay, running down but…
with armies of volunteers, campaigners, local community support they have all bounced back to life once again.
By clicking onto the links you will come across quite a few videos showing the stumbling blocks, and the ginormous efforts of the local people who were PASSIONATE to save them. They are wonderful. Today is certainly the ‘Day of the Lido’
PASSION!
Aldershot Lido was threatened to close to become a splash pad Reprieved at the moment.
See Comments Page for update
Beccles Lido
Bristol Lido – Grade II*
Brockwell Lido
Bromley – Southlands Road
Bude Sea Pool
Charlton Lido Greenwich
Cirencester Open Air Pool Wonderful backdrop
Cleveland Pools – Baths
Clifton Lido Bristol
Droitwich Lido
Gillingham Strand Lido
Govanhill Lido
Guildford Lido
Hampton Pool
Jubilee Pool Penzance
Kings Meadow Open Air Ladies Baths aka Thames Lido
Lymington Sea Water Pool see also the proposals in 2015DONE! AGJ 2017
London Fields Lido
Moseley Baths – beautiful building. Building is preserved for events. Living on borrowed time? No swimming at present
Newbury Outdoor Pool
Oasis Pool London
Pells Pool Pontypridd opens once again!
Portishead Lido
Saltdean Lido Now qualifies for the restored section. AFTER RAISING 3 MILLION! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ! Great headway.
Shoalstone Sea Water Pool in Devon
Teignmouth Lido
Tinside Lido – Plymouth Hoe
Tooting Bec Lido
A part quote from Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, in the Official Programme Olympic Games 2012 – Page 12
“Of course, even without the Games, a visitor to London is never bored…..plenty of evidence our city can rival any in the world….as a centre for……from the Royal Opera House to Roman Road Market, from Tower Bridge to Tooting Bec Lido, London has gleaming jewels and hidden gems round every corner……”
Uxbridge Lido
Wycombe Rye Lido. High Wycombe
Victoria Baths Manchester. The beautiful building is preserved for events. No swimming at present.
Woburn Lido. A lovely lido hearing the occasional trumpeting of elephants over the wall!
Woodcock Street Baths – Birmingham. A Modern day restoration .
As it was on in the Lido Index on this site and my… training venue! Included is a wonderful historical utube video
A NUDGE from my visitors Mary Farmery on the comments page – consequently I found this new information. Thank you Mary!
Cleethorpes Lido A forever marvellous pictorial memory
Ferndene Park Pool Ryton
Hunstanton Lido – Norfolk Memories
Mountain Pools – Whyteleafe, Surrey
A return link to more pools
Stories page has more interesting research and information from Lido Fans.
Please refer to the Arthur Hill Memorial Baths Blog Post for updates:
In September 2016 Reading Borough Council announced, out of the blue, that
they would be closing Arthur Hill Swimming Pool at Cemetery Junction.
Despite tooth and nail opposition to the Council from local residents, the
pool closed in December.
However, the story isn’t over yet. Before Christmas we raised £10,000 to
prepare a business plan for a community take-over of Arthur Hill Pool.
We’ve set up a community interest company to run the baths and have now put
together a plan for running the pool. The Council will make a decision on
whether or not to accept our proposal at a meeting at the Council Offices
on Monday 10th April.
We need your help for the meeting on 10th April. If our plan is to
succeed, we will need not only the Council’s approval, but also their
assistance and a promise to use windfall cash they will obtain from a new
housing development near Cemetery Junction to repair the pool. If we are
to succeed in re-opening Arthur Hill Pool we will need your support in the
following ways:
– Please email your local councillors and ask them to support the
community proposal to re-open the pool which will be discussed by the
Policy Committee on 10th April. You can find contact details for your
councillors at http://www.reading.gov.uk/councillorsbyward
– Please join us at 6.00 pm on Monday 10th April at the Reading Borough
Council Offices in Bridge Street (opposite House of Fraser) to demonstrate
to local councillors that there is still strong support for re-opening
Arthur Hill.
– Please join the Arthur Hill – Save Our Swimming Community Interest
Company as a member to show your support for our work and have your say in
future decisions (send a reply to this message and we’ll get back to you
with details).
This is likely to be our last chance to re-open the pool – so let’s make
the most of it.
Thank you for all your help and support and best wishes,
Peter Burt
Arthur Hill – Save Our Swimming Community Interest Company
Editor: Please support saving one of the last remaining historical buildings in Reading.