Droitwich Lido History
- Background
- Opening
- Droitwich
- The Brine Factor
- Memories
- Changing Times
- A Great Success
- New-look
- The end?
The Opening of the Lido
T H Mawson And Sons chose the fashionable Cubist style we now call Art Deco for the lido complex. The main block is a sharply detailed pavilion which today still features the original metal ‘Crittalls’ style windows (familiar to generations educated in school buildings designed and constructed in the two decades immediately following the Second World War). The triangle of the large central window points towards the classic elegance of the big pool 44 yards by 22 yards, enhanced by the attractive fountain drowning out town sounds and traffic. The original design included slides and diving boards at the one end, sadly now all demolished to meet health and safety standards.
The lido’s still unique selling feature is the fact that it is ‘sea water bathing’: the pool water a mix of one part brine to nine parts water – specified such that the water is near the strength of the Mediterranean Sea. A common complaint levelled against lidos in England is that the pool is nearly always far too cold. However, Droitwich lido could (until the mid-1960’s) boast a heated pool, where the water temperature was maintained at a comfortable 21°C (70°F).
The Lido first opened to the public on 10th June 1935 to rapturous press reports. "The sea with all its health-giving properties has been brought to the heart of the midlands for the first time" was the enthusiastic comment of Professor William Gemmil, Hon. Surgeon of Queen's Hospital, Birmingham. He went on to say "I have it on the highest authority that the brine of Droitwich is second to none in Europe for its medicinal properties." After declaring the Lido open the renowned film star Ralph (pronounced "Raif") Lynn - the original supercilious, monocled silly-ass - poured the contents of a bottle of champagne into the pool, and there followed swimming and diving displays by local champions, a water polo match and parade of swimming fashions.
From then on enjoying the exhilaration of open-air swimming with "bathroom comfort" became absolutely the in-thing to do in Droitwich.
These articles are © copyright 2005 The SALT Scribe and are written exclusively for the use of SALT.
