Droitwich Spa Town already had a history of therapeutic waters by the presence of the Brine Baths, an indoor facility offering treatments and relaxation. The town is sited on large salt deposits, with the water similar in constitution to the Dead Sea.
The lido was opened on 10th June 1935 and was sterilized with local water pumped from streams and diluted. The lido was heated, and it was advertised as being to the same temperature as the Mediterranean Sea.
The pool was designed by Edward P Mawson, who also designed the Durnsford Road pool in London. The pool buildings followed the Moderne fashion with their sharp angles and metal Crittall-style windows.
Droitwich Borough Council bought the pool in 1937 following fears that it would be sold to developers and may not remain available to the general public.
The pool was closed during the WWII, and the buildings were used by the military.
In 1974, the ownership of the Lido passed to the newly formed Wychavon District Council. An indoor pool was built next door in 1975, but this has long since been demolished.
Visitor numbers to the lido declined over the following years. The council received a recommendation to close the pool in 1982, but it was saved when councillors voted to spend £34,000 refurbishing the Lido.
The pool has had some notoriety over the years with topless sunbathers and vandals emptying the pool, releasing thousands of gallons of water!
Despite attempts by local group SALT (Save a Lido Today), the pool was left to deteriorate and eventually the council voted to clear the site. Fortunately, this did not happen, and, in April 2005, the people of Droitwich Spa held a poll in which 98% voted in favour of restoring the lido.
The lido re-opened in, with the pool refurbished, the paddling pool replaced with an up-to-date splash pad and with the original buildings intact. The pool still makes use of the local brine and at the start of the season, a fresh 40,000 litres is pumped in and topped up regularly.
Plans were unveiled in 2024 for an £8m upgrade to the pool and surrounding buildings.
| Name | Droitwich Spa Lido Park, Worcester Road, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England, WR9 8AA |
| Built / opened | 10th June 1935 |
| Cost | £25,000 |
| Dimensions | 132′ x 66′ |
| Capacity | 400,000 gallons |
| Water type | Saltwater, heated |
| Depth(s) | 5′ |
| Diving | 2 x 1m springboards, 3 x fixed boards at differing heights |
| Changing facilities | |
| Second pool | Children’s pool on O/S circa 1970 infilled. Paddling pool on satellite image circa 1999 approx. 60′ x 30′ replaced with larger splash pad after 2007. |
| Spectator seating | |
| Designer | Mr Edward Prentice Mawson, F.R.I.B.A, M.T.P.I., F.I.L.A (of Thomas H Mawson and Sons, London and Lancaster) |
| Date closed | 2000 then re-opened 2007 |
| Status | Open |
| On site now | The pool |
| Links | |
| Last updated | 7th June 2025 |
Baths and Bath Engineering, July 1935
Droitwich Spa.
A £25,000 sea-water lido, which has been constructed in Brine Baths Park, was opened on June 10. The bath, which is owned by Droitwich Sea Bathing Lido, Ltd., has a capacity of nearly 400,000 gal., and the water is of Mediterranean consistency- a mixture of one part of Droitwich brine and nine parts of water.
