Get Involved Do
you have any memories of Broomhill Lido, do
you remember swimming there.
Or did
you or one of your relatives once work there.
Whatever stories you have to tell about the lido we
would love to
hear them, please drop us a line at: _______________ Archive Images
Aerial View  ______________ Related Links
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The 1930's were the heyday of the Lido and over 170 were opened across britain during the decade. Health and fitness had become a national obsession during the roaring thirty's with swimming becoming an increasingly popular activity. In 1936 the traditional Ipswich swimming spot at West End on the River Gripping had to be closed after it became polluted by industry. The health and fitness was well supported by the government of the time and the investment made in swimming facilities has been described as the "finest example of the relationship between the state and the health of its people". Ipswich borough council was as committed as any and in an effort to replace the lost swimming place the it opened an open air swimming pool in Pipers Vale, and a year later construction began on a second pool on the edge of Broomhill Park to serve the residents of the western side of town.
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The lido which emerged was a fine example of the Modern Style of architecture which was the most popular choice of Lido design. Constructed at a cost of £17,000 it featured an olympic sized swimming pool 50 meters long, 8 lanes wide and 5 meters deep at the deep end along with a smaller pool for the children. Swimmers could be observed from a grandstand seating 700 spectators and its changing rooms could accommodate for 70 ladies and 108 men. The water held in main pool was heated to a temperate 21 degrees Celsius heated by state of the art steam boiler system and illuminated by and under water lighting system. The Lidos filtration system was one of the fastest in the country capable of processing 2,500,000 liters of water in a three hour cycle.
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When the Lido was opened by the Mayor of Ipswich George Underwood in April of 1938 the assembled crowd were presented with a presentation booklet, which a foreword penned by the mayor himself which outlined the civic pride and commitment to the health of the towns people the council intended the lido to represent.
"The importance of healthy exercise cannot be too strongly emphasised and swimming as an art tends to promote splendid physical development as well as for joyous entertainment.
The new pool at Broom Hill will be among the finest in the country, both in design and for the facilities offered to the public, indeed much time and thought have been expended by those responsible for its construction and maintenance to ensure that all classes are catered for. The learners' swimming pool will be hailed with joy by those who are anxious to learn the art of swimming, whilst the expert swimmers will be able to take full advantage of the huge pool, complete with underwater lighting and the regulation ADA diving stage.
I am confident that the facilities afforded will be very much appreciated by the citizens of Ipswich."
Following the opening ceremonies the first swimmers took to the pool to take part in an inter club competition between Ipswich Swimming Club and Leamington Swimming Club. When the pool opened to the general public the cost of admission was two and a half penny's for an adult and half price for children, with opening hours of 6am to 10pm between May and August and the shorter hours of 7am to 9pm in April and September.
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When the second World War broke out just a year after the the Lido opened, it was closed for the duration. The heating boilers were requisitioned by the war department and removed. As an important port Ipswich was a high priority target for the Lufftwaffe and efforts were made to disguise the Lido so it couldn't be used as a recognition point by bomber pilots. When the war was over the Pool once again became a regular attraction. Every year at the beginning of April the pool was drained repainted and then filled with fresh water in preparation for the six month season. It was still attracting over two thousand swimmers a day during the peek of summer in the 1980's with over 50,000 swimmers visiting over the course of its opening season.
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Over the years the Lido had suffered from a lack of investment and the facilities were beginning to suffer from the effects of time, Its high diving boards were becoming unsafe with the health and safety executive insisting on the installation of improved side rails. The council had to spend £80,000 to make the Lido safe for the 1997 season, but just five years later it closed for the last time with the council announcing it was unlikely to reopen in 2003. Not long after the Friends of Broomhill Pool was founded to campaign to reopen the Lido since then Ipswich borough council has sent a further £58,000 on a feasibility study to investigate future options to retain the pool. Despite the campaign gathering widespread support the Lido's future was placed in serious doubt in December of 2008 when the council passed proposals to remove the diving boards and fill the pool's with sand, following a video of number of unofficial visitors jumping into the stagnant pool water appearing on you tube.
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I myself was an unofficial visitor to the Lido back in April when in better days the Lido would have been beginning its season. The first stop was the changing rooms which lie within two long wings stretching out along the length of one side of the pool, In between the two wings there was a small attendants hut where swimmers would have picked up a basket to store their clothing. I first headed into the ladies changing room which would have landed me in trouble just five years before. Along both sides the changing room was lined with wooden changing cubicles painted in two tone pink for the girls. Inside each cubicle was a simple wooden bench and a hook, to modern eyes used to flash gyms the changing rooms looked quite spartan and probably an uninviting place to think about getting naked. At the end of the long line of cubicles was a larger communal changing room for those who required a little less privacy. The men's changing rooms on the opposite side were almost identical although painted in blue and a little longer to accommodate the larger number of male swimmers that were anticipated when the Lido was designed.
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Stepping out of the changing room area through the double arched entrance I emerged from the shade along side the sunbathing terrace over looking the olympic swimming pool. Quite a lot of fuss has been made over the vandalism the Lido has suffered since it closed but when I visited it all seemed quite superficial with most of the white walls surrounding the pool have been covered in graffiti but it could have been quite easily removed, but since I visited some more determined vandal have managed to smash an under water observation window draining a third of the pool water which has damaged the underlieing structure.
My first stop reaching pool side was the diving boards at the head of the pool, I climbed up to the tallest 5 meter board to get a good look down the length of the swimming pool which was filled with cloudy stagnant water, very much different from the clear blue water it would of held in it's prime. Carrying on round the pool I headed over to the grand stand and its bleached wood bench seats. Then i headed round past the kiddies pool back to the sun terrace which was bathed in warm spring sunlight and was a relaxing place to lie for a while. It felt like a great shame the resident of Ipswich can no longer enjoy an afternoon in the sun followed by a cooling dip.