Peterborough Lido

52°34′12″N 0°14′19″W / 52.5700°N 0.2387°W / 52.5700; -0.2387Opened25 May 1936^[1]WebsiteOfficial websiteOfficial nameThe LidoDesignated27 July 1992Reference no.1126896

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.

Facilities

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

Footnotes

Bibliography

• 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

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