Malvern Park

The site of this pool appears as a body of water on the O/S map of 1886 depicting it as part of the Malvern Park estate. The estate passed into the hands of Horace Brueton in 1922, and the pool was built on the site of the body of water and close to outbuildings forming stables and a coach house. At this point the pool was not a public bath.

The hall and some of the land was sold to the council in 1926 and in 1944 the rest was given to Solihull. The pool and buildings, however, were sold to Alfred and Hilda Brown, who upgraded the facility, added a filter plant and opened to the public.

By 1950, the Browns wanted to dispose of the pool and offered it for sale to the council, who declined. Eventually Solihull did purchase the pool for £11,900 in 1954. The pool, buildings and land became part of Malvern Park. The inaugural season attracted 13,000 bathers over the summer months and became so popular, visitor numbers increased to 60,000 the following year.

All was not good though as leaks plagued the pool and during the first season, 250,000 gallons of water had disappeared, so significantly more than a whole pools worth (175,000 gallons). The pool was drained in an effort to understand the cause. Whatever remedials works were undertaken never fully resolved the problem and the pool continued to leak.

1965 saw the opening of a nearby heated indoor pool so began the steady decline in visitors. By 1975, the pool was loosing money and that year did not open at all. A petition was started to save the pool and the decision to close was rescinded. The following year saw £3,000 spent on a facelift but the reprieve only lasted a few years. The Council agreed that the pool cold only remain open if the local action group could raise £9,000 to keep it open.

The pool finally closed in 1982 as reports discovered that water from the base of the pool was seeping into surrounding properties. £30,000 was needed to fix it.

A local private school took over Malvern Hall in 1989. Prior to this, in 1987, they responded to a tender for usage of the pool and land, stating their wish to upgrade the pool for use by pupils and for it to be open to the public outside term time. By 1988 they had changed their minds and advised the council that they wanted to re-purpose the buildings as classrooms and by 1990 the changing rooms, originally the stables, were a new sixth form block. The pool was left untouched and nature took over.

In 1998, an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to refurbish the pool was unsuccessful. In 2020, the Council refused an application for residential development. Aerial images show the pool completely obscured by trees. In 2022, however, a significant amount of felling appears to have taken place with many trees shown laying across the pool, but the outline can be seen. For how long, who knows.

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 19 September 1955

60,000 Visitors to Solihull Swimming Pool

More than 60,000 bathers and spectators visited the Malvern Park swimming pool at Solihull this summer as compared with a little over 13.000 last summer. Solihull Council will be told to-morrow. The income from the pool to the end of August was Just over £3,500 compared with £787 the previous year.

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 17 September 1956

Takings from daily bathers at Malvern Park swimming pool. administered by Solihull Corporation. are only 34 per cent of last August total. By the end of August the takings of £1,044 were £1,994 less than last year. Receipts from season ticket holders, however, are one-third greater than last year.

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 08 February 1954

Solihull Buys a Swimming pool
Price Not Stated Solihull Urban Council has bought a local, privately owned swimming-pool. Situated near Malvern Park, the pool was built by the late Mr. Horace Brueton on land belonging to the Malvern Hall estate. The property was acquired privately in 1942, and from that time the pool has been improved.It is the first municipal swimmingbpool in the Solihull area, and the council will take over its management for the coming season. No official statement has yet been made on the price paid.

Birmingham Daily Post – Wednesday 04 May 1955

`Pampering’ of Children Park Open-air Pool Proposals Criticised ” We are encouraging our children to grow up a very wet and weak kneed lot.” Coun. Edgar N. Hiley told Solihull Education Committee yesterday. He was commenting on a minute containing recommendations on swimming facilities at the borough authority’s Malvern Park open-air pool for local school children. The recommendations were that tuition for swimming beginners could ” not reasonably be given ” in an open-air unheated bath, and that the shelving of the Malvern pool made instruction for beginners difficult.” Coun. Hiley said: ” Our forefathers used to swim in the rivers. This business of unheated atmosphere and other things seems to me to be a lot of baloney. It is rather tragic that we have got to pamper our children so much because of the sloping of our baths or the tendency of the weather.” The committee accepted the minute and its recommendations,

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 14 October 1957

Big Rise in Takings at Solihull Pool During the season more than £2,120 was taken at the open air swimming pool in Malvern Park. Solihull – £1,600 more than last year.

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 18 August 1958

SWIMMING POOL PROFITS DROP By a Woman Staff Reporter

The bad weather, rain and wind this summer have caused profits of swimming pools to dive and have produced so far some of the lowest attendance figures for a number of years. Yesterday, though the weather was warm, the numbers were nothing like those of a normal mid-summer Sunday afternoon. At Malvern Park Swimming Pool, Solihull, between 800 and 900 people went swimming. The pool holds 500, and people had to queue outside to wait their turn. Up to Saturday night 34,073 people had entered the Solihull pool – 6,600 fewer than at the same time last year. At Droitwich Lido nearly 2,000 people went bathing yesterday, but normally, if there had been a fine spell, that number would have been more than doubled. At Tamworth 5,000 people have been known to pack into the Castle Bathing Pool during a hot Sunday. Yesterday’s attendance figure was only 1,735.

Birmingham Daily Post – Friday 06 November 1959

Takings Doubled The open-air swimming pool in Malvern Park. Solihull. took £5,251 9s. during the summer. more than double its income for the same period last year.

Birmingham Daily Post – Monday 08 May 1961

” Chilly Dip for Councillor Despite the chilly, overcast weather, a Solihull councillor took “an early morning dip” to mark the opening today for another season of the town’s Malvern Park open air swimming pool. He is Councillor Norman Green of Dorchester Road. Solihull, who has made it a self-imposed tradition to dive into the pool whatever the weather early in the morning of its opening day.

Birmingham Daily Post – Tuesday 06 May 1975

Pool re-think Solihull Council is to reconsider Its decision to close the open air pool in Malvern Park after protests by residents. The council decided not to open the pool this summer on financial grounds. More than 3,000 have signed a petition asking the council to reconsider the matter.

Birmingham Daily Post – Tuesday 27 January 1976

Lido bill could be £7,000

Solihull lido may reopen this summer for a reduced season, despite a probable loss on the operation of more than £7,000. The borough’s Estates and Buildings Committee will decide tomorrow whether to take the advice of a sub-committee and set aside enough money to reopen the Lido in Malvern Park for nine weeks without cafe facilities. Supporters of the lido fear the site could be sold for redevelopment, but the sub-committee recommends that no action should be taken to dispose of it. Last year the pool stayed shut all summer. First, it was decided that the estimated £8,000 loss on it was too much for the council and when the Policy Committee reversed the decisionthere was no money for necessary repair work.

Birmingham Daily Post – Wednesday 18 February 1976

Lido to open The council last night agreed to reopen the Malvern Park lido this summer. The pool was closed last year in the face of public criticism and a 4,000-strong petition to keep it open.

Birmingham Mail – Tuesday 24 October 1978

‘Shut the lido’ call as takings plunge

A campaign is being launched in Solihull to close down the council’s lossmaking lido following disastrous summer season in which takings plunged.The number of swimmers taking a dip the unheated open air pool on the edge of Malvern Park hit rock bottom during nine-week opening the wet and gloomy summer. Now Solihill Ratepayers’ Association is to call on the local authority to close the pool for years faced a shutdown.The lido did not at in 1975 because SolihullCouncil couid not find £8000 for urgent repairs. But following a mass protest by a“save the pool” group it has opened for a limited periodeach summer since.A council spokesman saidno decision had been taken about opening pool next year.

Birmingham Mail – Friday 19 October 1979

Swimmers at Solihull are making a last-ditch bid to save the town’s open-air swimming from closure They are launching a “save the lido” campaign pleading with the council to sink plans to sell the prime site for luxury homes The protesters fear the authority aim to net £100,000 by putting the exclusive two-acre parkland site on the property market After another loss-making summer when takings plunged Solihull Council decided to close down unheated pool which has faced the axe for years Now the Friends of the Pool group which a successful fight to save the lido the edge of the Malvern Park four years ago is pressing the council to have an urgent rethink Grandmother Mrs Nora Spooner who is leading the battle said It is the onlyoutdoor pool Solihull has But it is the first item the council considers closing whenever it makes cutbacks.

Birmingham Mail – Thursday 24 April 1980

Pool gets one last chance to stay afloat Solihull’s loss making lido threatened with the axe for several years is to be given one last chance this summer Following a wave of protests about its closure the council – owned open air pool on the edge of Malvern Park is be bailed out by an action group prepared to sink several thousand pounds into the venture. Solihull Council leader Councillor David “This is definitely pool’s last chance “If it fails this year that’s end I just hope who keep saying they this facility put where their mouth is” After summer’s poor attendances when numbers plunged an all-time low the council decided to close the pool money-saving move But massive protest the Save Lado campaign plans to the prime site for housing pool put Talks were with the action group which was they would have to raise money needed to open the pool about £9000 protesters plan to launch in town for money from individuals industry apply for a the Sports Council and season tickets to swimmers.Coun Peter Kelly said: “They are obviously a very determined crowd and good luck to them.”But the whole thing depends so on the weather I fear this is merely a stay of execution of the lido”

Birmingham Mail – Saturday 11 September 1982

Lido springs a leak: £30000 bill

Solihull Council is facing a £30,000 bill for a leaking Officials have reported that one of the town’s swimming baths the Malvern Park Lido has a porous bottom. Water is seeping into the gardens of a neighbouring house The news a blow to campaigners who kept the pool open in opposition councillors who wanted to close it down a few years Campaigners claimed council for running losses were inaccurate and that the pool was an amenity There were also fears that the pool area, designated a public open space would be used for housing But now councillors have been told that in the pool bottom which has been patched in other years ia now so bad a major repair is needed The council is scheduled to take a decision about the pool’s future later this month.

Birmingham Mail – Wednesday 24 November 1982

Plug pulled on ‘tatty old’ lido by JOHN PAYNE

The plug has finally been pulled on Solihulls loss-making lido The unheated pool on the edge of Malvern Park is closing down after years of rows. The council which says the pool is a drain on ratepayers’ money will now decide what to do with the prime 1.5 acre site The borough’s public works committee was recommending that the leaking pool should be repaired so that it could open again next summer But at last night’s meeting the Tory council voted to close the pool Conservative councillor Peter Duddy, keen swimmer, said the lido was “old and tatty” and needed substantial repairs Councillors were told the pool ran at a £19000 loss last summer Now a study is to be carried out into the provision of a new 25-metre by seven-metre pool at the indoor Tudor Grange Baths with a sheltered sun terrace