Grange Over Sands Open Air Pool was built into the rock along the coast of the small town and jutting out into Morecambe Bay. It used sea water that would be replenished at high tide with the pool containing 445,000 filtered gallons and holding tanks built under the surrounds containing a further 225,000 gallons unfiltered.
It opened officially on 18th August 1932 but had already been in use for around six weeks prior to the ceremony where the Earl of Darby carried out the honours.
The pool was 165’ long by 112’ wide, including the rectangular diving pit served by a concrete fixed diving platform built as a decorative arched structure.
By the mid 70’s repairs were needed including reinforcement to the sea tanks, concrete repairs to beams and alterations to pipework. After the work was completed, the pool suffered flood damage with the sea breaching to external wall.
By 1993 the pool was again in need of significant repairs, and it was then that the pool was closed. Additionally, the sea, from which the pool was fed, had shifted so that the high tide point was now much further east and is now around 350’ away.
The pool was left to deteriorate although not to the extent that the major features were lost. Structural reports were carried out, and some remedial works took place. During the early 2000’s an obscene amount of money was spent on a new indoor pool close by that practically fell to bits and closed within 3 years and was demolished less than 10 years after opening.
The lido was listed in 2011.
This pool benefits from one of the most organised and effective groups connected with historic lidos, ‘Save Grange Lido’. It has worked closely with the local authority and is now a limited company incorporated as a Community Benefit Society so has charitable status. It continues to promote the scheme to eventually completely restore the pool.
SGL produced a plan that would support the restoration in two phases. Phase I was undertaken by the local authority and included restoration of the buildings and infilling of the pool with a temporary granular material that would function to support the pool walls when the water was removed. Work started in 2023, but additional works were required that put the project on hold. In March 2026, the council announced that work would recommence in April 2026, with a new completion date at the end of summer 2026.
Phase II will look at restoration of the changing rooms and, of course, the pool itself.
| Name | Grange Over Sands Open Air Pool 4 Thornfield Road, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7DS, England |
| Coordinates | 54°11’14.0″N 2°54’43.6″W |
| Built / opened | 18th August 1932 by the Earl of Derby (official opening) |
| Cost | £17,000 |
| Dimensions | 165’x 112′ |
| Capacity | 445,000 gallons |
| Water type | Filtered sea water |
| Depth(s) | 1′ 6″ to 8′, 0′ at diving pit |
| Diving | Concrete fixed diving stage, possibly 2m and 3m heights |
| Changing facilities | Changing rooms adjacent to the far sea wall. |
| Second pool | Small shallow paddling pool to north of main tank |
| Spectator seating | |
| Designers and contractors | Designer – Thomas Huddleston, council engineer and surveyor Contractor – Messrs. Rainey Bros of Barrow-in-Furness Some reports refer to Bernard Smith (the council surveyor) as the designer including Janet Smith’s book ‘Liquid Assets’ |
| Date closed | 1993 |
| Status | Partially refurbished, tank temporarily infilled |
| On site now | The pool with removable fill in medium |
| Last updated | 29th March 2026 |
