The North-West’s LOST LIDOS By Margaret Brecknell
Open-air swimming pools, sometimes known as lidos, were once a regular feature of towns and cities across the country.
D
uring the first part of the 20th century, swimming, as a way of keeping fit, became increasingly fashionable. This keep-fit craze provided seaside resorts with an opportunity to offer something new to the thousands of holidaymakers who visited each year. No expense was spared in constructing some quite magnificent lidos at England’s seaside towns 192
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
The lido reached its height of popularity in the inter-war years, but gradually lost its appeal to holidaymakers, who increasingly preferred to sunbathe by the pool in warmer climes rather than risk the vagaries of the British weather. Here in the North-West, there were once some particularly fine lidos, but sadly, with one notable exception, these have all now been lost to posterity. www.lancmag.com
