Peterborough Lido

Summary

The Lido in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire was first opened as the Corporation Swimming Pool in 1936 by the Mayor of Peterborough Arthur Mellows, and is one of the few survivors of its type still in use in the United Kingdom. A striking building with elements of art deco design, the Lido and surrounding gardens cover an area of roughly two and a half acres (1 hectare), lying adjacent to the embankment of the River Nene, south of the city centre.[2] Designed in the "hacienda style", it is considered one of the finest surviving examples in England.

Peterborough Lido
Map
General information
TypeOpen air swimming pool
Architectural styleArt Deco
AddressBishops Road, TL1 9NE
Town or cityPeterborough
CountryEngland
Coordinates52°34′12″N 0°14′19″W / 52.5700°N 0.2387°W / 52.5700; -0.2387
Opened25 May 1936[1]
Website
Official website
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameThe Lido
Designated27 July 1992
Reference no.1126896

Facilities edit

The land on which the swimming pool is situated was purchased by the corporation from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1927.

The main pool is 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 m) deep at the deep end sloping to 2 feet 11 inches (0.89 m) at the shallow end and holds 500,000 gallons (2,273 m³) of water. The site, which also includes two other heated outdoor pools (learner and paddling), a large sunbathing lawn, balcony and refreshment area was designated a Grade II listed building in 1992. It is open to the public from late May to early September, closing during periods of inclement weather.[3]

Peterborough Sub-Aqua Club are official tenants of the Lido, renting some of the rooms beneath the clock tower.

In 2016, the Lido erected a silhouette of Walter Cornelius as a weathercock on the swimming pool's weather vane.[4]

References edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ Historic England. "The Lido (1126896)". National Heritage List for England.
  2. ^ Brandon, David and Knight, John Peterborough Past: The City and The Soke (pp.111-112) Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 2001
  3. ^ The Lido: outdoor swimming pool Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 12 May 2009
  4. ^ "Walter Cornelius: Life of daredevil 'birdman' remembered". BBC News. 11 October 2018.

Bibliography edit

  • Smith, Janet (2006), Liquid assets: the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain, English Heritage, pp. 116–119, ISBN 978-0-9547445-0-2

External links edit

  • The Lido Outdoor Swimming Pool
  • The Regional Fitness & Swimming Centre
  • Lidos in the UK
  • Peterborough Sub-Aqua Club