Heyday of the city's Lido

JO CLARKE DELVES INTO THE HISTORY OF A HOE ATTRACTION

- JO CLARKE

INSIDE Lido opens for the 2025 summer season on Saturday, May 24, and will remain open until September 15.

Measuring 180ft wide, with the depth of sea water varying from two feet in the shallow end to nine feet in the deep end, it’s a wonderful example of Art Deco architecture and is Grade I] listed.

It has been voted one of the top 10 outdoor pools in Europe. There can’t be many outdoor pools that are set in such a great location!

Tinside originally opened on October 2, 1935. During the Second World War, when Plymouth’s water supplies were compromised, it was used as a communal bath house.

The lido was extremely popular during the 1950s and early 1960s, but, when people started choosing to travel abroad rather than stay at home for their holidays, it declined.