Tinside Pool

Tinside Pool
Address Hoe Road, Plymouth
Postcode PL1 3DE
Opened 1935 (reopened 2005)
Closed 1992-2005
Owner Plymouth City Council
Architect John Wibberley (1878-1936)
Type open-air, seawater
Status Grade II Listed
Length 180 feet (55 m)
Depth 2 feet (0.61 m) − 9 feet (2.7 m)
Website Official website

Tinside Pool is a unique 1935 Art Deco lido in the city of Plymouth in south-west England.[1][2] It is sited beside Plymouth Sound and is overlooked by Plymouth Hoe and Smeaton's Tower. The lido is open in the summer months between May and September.[3][4]

Contents

History

The lido was officially opened on 2 October 1935.[5]

A victim of declining popularity and neglect, the lido closed in 1992 but a vociferous local campaign led to a renovation, at a cost of £3.4 million, and Grade II Listed Building status in 1998.[5] The facility re-opened to the public in 2005.[1][6][7]

A lift and hoist were added in 2009 for disabled access.

Description

The lido design is a semicircle of 180 feet diameter (55 metres).[5] There is a large central fountain and two smaller side fountains. The lido is floodlit at night, originally the lighting went through three decorative colour changes.

Sun loungers and deckchairs are available for hire.

References

  1. ^ a b BBC (2005). "Point 6 - Tinside Pool". Coast Walks. http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2005/06/07/coast05walks_stage6_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
  2. ^ Smith, Virginia Sarah (2007). Clean: a history of personal hygiene and purity. Oxford University Press. p. 321. ISBN 9780199297795. http://books.google.com/?id=GZBsRv17U3gC. 
  3. ^ Plymouth City Council. "Tinside Opening Times". Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070813235632/http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/leisureandtourism/sportandrecreation/swimmingpools/outdoorswimmingpools/tinsideopeningtimes.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
  4. ^ "Sparkle returns to art deco lido". BBC. 14 Aug 2003. http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2003/tinside_pool.shtml. Retrieved 4 December 2011. 
  5. ^ a b c "Tinside Lido and Changing Rooms". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=471689. Retrieved 4 December 2011. 
  6. ^ Jenny Landreth (8 July 2006). "Take me to your lido; Nothing beats diving into cool sparkling water on a hot summer day. Here, three friends set out on a mini tour of outdoor pools". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/jul/08/watersportsholidays.unitedkingdom. "Alongside the ring of bright lido water pushing into the grey sea are several smaller, unregulated pools and rickety diving platforms... It had a stunning view: a turn of the head took you from the chopping sea to the clarity of the pool; a lift of the chin took your eye from the blue water to the blooming of "Plymouth" written in municipal bedding plants on the hill above." 
  7. ^ "10 seawater pools". The Guardian. 14 July 2007. http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jul/14/beach.uk22. "This beautiful 1930s colonnaded structure below Hoe Road reopened in 2003 after years of neglect and local government wranglings. The huge, semi-circular, art deco-inspired pool uses treated seawater and is open for a cooling dip from May to September. Plus there are three tidal pools built into the rocks next door, with high diving boards to boot." 

External links