Ilkley Open Air Pool was designed in the 1930s by Percy Tempest and Archibald Skinner and opened in time for the 1935 Jubilee celebrations. The pool has wonderful views over the surroundings.
The pool was thoughtfully planned for everyone – with a shallow area for children, a large beginners’ section, and a full-length swimming and water polo area, plus diving boards and chutes for both adults and kids. Built on a challenging, water-logged site, the pool used innovative drainage and reinforced concrete construction to keep it stable and safe.
The design also included changing facilities, filtration to keep the water clean and healthy, and one of the earliest examples of gas-heated open-air pools, combined with clever use of solar warmth to keep running costs down.
Surrounding the pool are sunbathing areas, seating for around 500 spectators, and a café with sheltered terraces – making it a true community leisure space. The entire project was completed for just over £11,600.
An indoor pool was added in 1974, but the diving boards did not meet safety regulations and were removed.
The pool remains largely as it was built and is open during the summer months. The indoor pool is open year-round.
| Name | Ilkley Open Air Bathing Pool aka Ilkley Lido Denton Road, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, LS29 0BZ, England |
| Coordinates | 53°55’55.0″N 1°49’12.5″W |
| Built / opened | 4th May 1935 |
| Cost | £11,665 across the site inc. 1936 improvements (£8,669 for the pool) |
| Dimensions | 150′ at widest part of circle E-W 140′ length N-S |
| Capacity | 350,000 gallons |
| Water type | Chlorinated fresh water |
| Depth(s) | Childrens area – 12 in., Beginners area – 2 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. Swimmers – 6 ft. 6 in. to 7 ft. 6 in. Water polo – 25yd by 10 yd, 6 ft. 6 in. to 7 ft. 6 in. |
| Diving | Removed 1974 |
| Changing facilities | 360 lockers for males and 408 for females, with dressing cubicles on an eight to one basis. |
| Second pool | N/A |
| Spectator seating | Concrete circular platforms for 500 |
| Designer | Percy Tempest, architect Archibald Skinner, surveyor and engineer |
| Date closed | N/A |
| Status | Open |
| On site now | The pool |
| Links | Ilkley Lido and Pool Ilkley Pool and Lido (@ilkleylido) • Instagram Ilkley Lido Summer Solstice 4K – YouTube |
| Last updated | 8th February 2026 |
Baths and Bath Engineering, December 1936
The Ilkley Open Air Bathing Pool, with Special Reference to Gas Heating by A. SKINNER, M.Inst.M. G Cy.E., M.R.S.I. Surveyor and Water Engineer, Ilkley U.D.C.
This scheme was prepared in 1933-34 and completed in time for the Jubilee celebrations in May 1935.
Design of Pool
An area was specially made for small children with a water depth of only 12 in., and for the beginner the area of the pool, three times the area than for swimmers, varies in depth between 2 ft. 6 in. and 4 ft. The swimming area was designed to give a water polo area of 25 yd. by 10 yd. in deep water; this area being graded from 6 It. 6 in. to 7 ft. 6 in. deep. Unfortunately, it was not possible, owing to cost, to make a diving pit in the waterlogged site, and the highest diving stage was therefore restricted to 3 m.
Owing to the subsoil water being within 2 ft. from the surface of the ground during the winter, it was necessary to guard against upward water pressure. The underside of the floor slabs was therefore drained by means of’ land tiles and connected to three subsoil relief valves.
The intermediate water area between the non-swimmer and swimmer section varies from 4 ft. to 6 ft. 6 in. and gives an uninterrupted length of 50 yd. for racing.
In addition to the polo area is a diving bay equipped with two 1 m. springboards, one 2 m. springboard. and one 3 m. fixed board.
One 14 it. 6 in. stainless steel diving chute for adults and one 6 ft. diving chute for children are provided at convenient points.
Construction
The pool is constricted of reinforced concrete lined with pre-cast green Cullamix slabs. The floor was constructed with reinforced concrete slabs with expansion joints. The joints were cloaked with black cement in the form of lines 3 in. wide, and the floor rendered in white Snowcrete.
Dressing Accommodation
The original design for the pool allowed for duplicate dressing accommodation for males and females on opposite sides of the pool. The design was modified later to allow for one block of building only and the dressing accommodation was therefore halved. Last summer proved that the original design was correct and additional accommodation for females is being provided. The whole of this work is carried out in timber framing on a reinforced concrete base. The total accommodation provided will be 360 lockers for males and 408 for females, with dressing cubicles on an eight to one basis.
Filtration Scheme
The whole of the water, some 325,600 gal., is circulated every six hours. Chlorine and ammonia are fed into the return water to keep to Ministry of Health standards. I found that the use of ammonia greatly increased the chlorine efficiency and prevented nose and eye troubles and reduced the amount of chlorine used.
Heating
Consideration was given to heating by coal or coke-fired boilers, but owing to the site it was thought desirable to use gas. When designing the shape of the pool I paid special attention to the surface area compared with total quantity of water, for I realised that if the pool was to be heated economically every effort must be made to trap solar radiation That this has been successful will be seen from the following tables: –
The highest temperatures recorded for the water in the pool are as follows: –
The standard temperature adopted was 65 deg. The actual British thermal units consumed in heating the pool are as follows, the figures being given in millions and also the gas equivalent: –
The total gas consumption amounted to 2,154,000 cu. ft. at 1s 10d per 1,000 – a cost of £197 9s. The estimated cost was £300.
It is interesting to note the actual temperature gain in the pool additional to that imparted by the gas, the figures being given us for gas in millions of British thermal units.
May 246, June 415.75, July 543.85, August 428.25, September 157.25
It can be assumed that the bulk of this increase is due to the effect of solar radiation upon the large surface area of the pool and the retentive capacity of the water.
General
On the outside of the pool shingle sunbathing areas have been provided, but with the large amount of grass available they have not been extensively used. They have, however, formed a division between the swimmers and spectators, provided an area which is always dry for sitting upon, and definitely act as a trap for debris which might blow into the pool.
Seating accommodation is provided for approximately 500 people in circular concrete platforms around the pool. The seats are constructed to my own design. The cafe is arranged with folding and sliding partitions on south, east and west sides, and the cafe terrace is provided with glazed wind shields.
The cost of the scheme, including estimated cost of the work in progress, is £11,655.
Among the contractors were:
- Dressing accommodation, C. W. Hodgson, Otley, H. Storey, Ilkley.
- Pre-casting concrete lining, Girlings Ferro Concrete Co., Rothwell.
- Pre-cast concrete aerator, Atlas Concrete Products, Ltd.; Dunston-on-Tyne.
- Diving equipment, steps, etc., Chas. Wicksteed and Co., Ltd., Kettering.
- Filter plant and chlorine and ammonia apparatus, Bell Bros. (Manchester), Ltd., Denton, Manchester.
- Foot sprays, Gummers, Ltd., Rotherham.
- Showers ” Economic,” Chas. Winn and Co., Ltd., Birmingham.
- Roofing shingles, Ruberoid Co., Ltd., Newcastle.
- Lockers, Milners’ Safe Co., Ltd., London.
- Gas-fired boilers, Autocontrol Boilers, Ltd., London.
From a paper read before a joint meeting of the Yorkshire and North-Western Districts of the Institution of Municipal and County Engineers, at Ilkley.
