Matlock Lido

The town of Matlock already had an outdoor pool, part of the New Bath Hotel and still open today, as well as other pools but many of these were attached to hydro resorts and not generally open to the public. This lido was to adress the balance and described as ‘the most important day in the history of Matlock as a health and pleasure resort,’ by a local newspaper.

A 60′ x 20′ covered bath was built alongside and facilities were shared. This pool had one of the most attractive diving boards (image below).

It is unbelievable that the deco style building containing the cafe was demolished and was replaced by a hideous attempt to make something look old and of local stone then plastered with huge Wilko signage. Whose idea was this? Who allowed this?

Feature article Baths and Bath Engineering August 1938

Matlock Lido – Urban Council’s Modern Scheme: Open-Air Pool and Covered Bath.

From the earliest times Matlock has been esteemed as a Spa. Despite difficulties of access, Matlock was known to the Romans. Queen Victoria visited the natural medicinal springs in 1842, and since I870, aided by improved means of transport, tourists, holiday makers, and invalids have come in ever increasing numbers to enjoy the scenery, the natural waters and to benefit from the art of hydropathy, which here has developed to a high degree.

Hydropathy (curing by the agency of water) is distinct in practice from the use of water as a means of exercise and social pleasure.  and the Matlock Urban District Council have for some years been concerned at the lack of a modern bathing establishment worth of the tradition associate with the town’s past history.

In the new Matlock Lido, the enterprise of the council has produced an open-air bathing centre at a reasonable capital outlay and with every chance of the receipts being sufficient to cover loan charges and running expenses. No charge will, it is hoped, fall on the rates. In this connection it should be mentioned that the Matlock Council, after careful consideration of the charges made by other authorities, have taken into account that the Lido serves both holiday makers and a local ratepaying population. The charge for the use of either, or both baths up to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays is 1s.

At all other times the charge is 6d. Children under 15 years old are admitted at half these rates and spectators are charged 3d. at all times. The use of the slipper baths, including towel and soap, is 6d.

The location of the Lido is in a secluded but centrally situated park and adjacent to car parks. The scheme comprises two swimming baths – a large open-air pool and a small, covered bath – changing accommodation serving both, five slipper baths housed separately, sun-bathing terraces, and a cafe, with open balcony and roof garden, overlooking the open pool at the back.

As far as the council is concerned, the care is self-supporting, the building and catering rights having been let at an economic rent sufficient to cover loan charges, depreciation, local and county rates.

The large open pool is backed by the housing of the covered bath and slipper baths and by the administrative buildings, containing changing rooms, lavatories, and pre- cleansing arrangements.

Open-Air Pool

The open-air pool is 125 ft. long by 50 ft. wide. For a distance of 75 ft. the depth of water gradually varies from 2 ft. 6 in. to 4 it. 6 in., after which the depth increases to 9 ft. 6 in.  for the diving pit, this being 30 ft. long. There are 110 ft. of full width, which makes the pool adaptable for racing and for which purpose a portable turning boom is used. The corners of the shallow end are rounded to give greater landing space and to prevent eddies on either side of the inlet weir, which is situated in the middle of the shallow end.

The sides and bottoms of the pool are treated with a light green synthetic paint which is considered preferable to tiles or glazed bricks both as to appearance and for giving a good grip to the feet.

The surrounds have a minimum width of 13 ft over-all (including sun-bathing beaches 7 ft. wide) andare reserved for bathers. The surrounds are sloped away from the edge of the pool and have non-slip surfaces. The concrete of the surrounds is monolithic with the bath tanks and a spherical well-graded quartzite pebble aggregate has been used. A special surface treatment which exposes the tops of the pebbles near the finished surface provides a non-slip finish, which is of pleasant appearance and suitable texture for contact with bare feet.

Outside the area reserved for bathers is a spectator’s terrace formed of the excavated spoil which provides a coign of vantage for spectator’s seats. The sun-bathing beaches are formed of green non-slip tiles raised above the concrete surrounds. Artificial lighting is effected by floodlights mounted on reinforced concrete pylons 25 ft. high.

Diving stages and water chutes have been specially designed for the Lido by the engineers and architects and provide a notable feature of the scheme. The 5 m. fixed stage is situated between two 3m stages, one forming a fixed diving platform and the other carrying a standard springboard. One-metre springboards are also provided for each bath. The water chute at the deep end of the open pool is reached from a concrete platform a little above the level of the upper sun-bathing terrace. The chute itself is entirely constructed of polished ”weld decay” free stainless steel with the exception of teak handrails. The children’s chute is semi-portable constructed of teak and welded galvanised steel tubes. Two small cascades are provided at the deep end. They are principally for aesthetic effect and are not considered in connection with conditioning the water, aeration being dealt with otherwise by the latest type of purification plant. About one quarter of the total turnover is fed through the cascades, the overflow from which feeds into the deep end of the pool in order to prevent any stagnant water close to the end wall.

The changing rooms are divided into equal portions for the two sexes, The entrance lobby gives into a main changing room furnished with cubicles and lockers opposite. The peak capacity of the pool is 500 bathers.

The Council have anticipated that holiday makers visiting Matlock may be unprepared for bathing and to meet this contingency have equipped the Lido with a large number of best quality woollen bathing costumes and good bath towels. The costumes may be hired for a small charge and are obtainable in the latest fashions and colours both for men and women. A full range of sizes is available, and there is no distinguishing mark which would indicate that a hired costume was worn. Arrangements have been made in the planning and equipment so that no deposit is required on hired bathing costumes.

Additional sun-bathing space is provided on the flat reinforced concrete root of the changing rooms and is reached by stairs. High parapets on the outer sides act as wind screens and exclude all internal view, and large heavy concrete flower boxes afford protection on the bath sides

Covered Bath.

General dimensions of the covered bath are 60 ft. by 20 ft., the minimum depth being 2 ft. 6 in. and the maximum depth 6 ft. 6 in.  The surrounds are 5 ft. wide at the sides 8 ft.  wide at the ends and have non-slip surfaces sloped away from the bath; the surface treatment of these surrounds is similar to that already described in connection with the open pool with the addition of two coats of green bituminous floor paint. Only bathers and attendants are allowed on the bath surround.

Artificial lighting is provided by 10 specially designed units giving a direct diffused light throughout the building. Glass roof lights and a lantern give natural ventilation, and large windows admit an adequate amount of sunlight.

The bath itself is of reinforced concrete similar to that of the open pool and is treated with pale green synthetic paint.  The sides of both pools were cast against dead smooth pressed wood fibre boarding, the concrete afterwards being polished with carborundum blocks before applying the synthetic paint. The bottoms of the baths were treated in exactly the same manner as the baths surrounds and this finish was found to provide an ideal key for the paint.  Although requiring rather more material and labour per square yard as compared with the smooth sides. In accordance with the usual practice of the engineers for the scheme no expansion joints are provided in either bath. With correctly designed reinforcement and proper concreting supervision the engineers have found this procedure satisfactory in bath tanks and reservoirs up to 200 ft in length.

The roof is carried on reinforced concrete ” two hinged ” frames, the legs of which give stiffness to the panelled walls. The outside of all walls facing to public roads is faced with local stone, generally ‘ snecked wallstone.” Exterior walls facing to the pools are formed of ”rustic” finished facing bricks in two shades of colour. Internal walls to the covered bath and dressing rooms are all faced with especially high quality ” sand-lime” facing brick, the surface receiving three coats of synthetic paint, the final coat having a gloss finish Adjoining the cafe the main entrance admits to both baths and is used by spectators.

The slipper baths, three for men and two for women, have a separate entrance at right angles to the main road on which the cafe and Lido entrances are situated. Pay boxes are provided for both entrances. It is intended to use the covered bath throughout the year, although in designing the bath building the possible future provision of a false floor was taken into account and the planning allows of alternative controlled entrance and the use of the bathers’ lavatories when the covered bath building may be used as a hall.

A particular feature of the scheme is the sharing of the changing accommodation and bathers’ lavatories, showers and footbaths between the open and covered pools.  The dressings rooms are planned as a square U, the bottom of the U being adjacent to, and sharing a wall with, the covered bath. The entrances for both sexes are at the two free ends of the U, the lavatories, footbaths, and communication with both bath surrounds being located at the centre of the U.

Obvious economies result from this arrangement, which also shelters the deep end of the open pool, the other end of which is shielded by the café building.

All bathers are obliged to pass through a footbath (warmed water) on the way to either swimming bath and showers fitted with hot and cold mixing and anti-scalding controls provide further pre-cleansing facilities.

Purification and Heating Plants.

The filtration plant is arranged so that the two baths may be run together, in which case the complete turnover periods are 6 hours and 4 hours for the large and small baths respectively or a complete circulation of either bath independently can be given in approximately 42 hours for the open pool or 1 hour for the closed bath.

Heating of the water in both baths, space heating of the covered bath and dressing rooms, and also the hot water supply for the slipper baths, lavatories and showers is provided by a low-pressure oil-fired boiler, Heat is communicated to the swimming baths by a heat exchange unit placed in the main circulation flow.

A storage calorifier provides hot water for the slipper baths and lavatories, while the space heating is by water pipes and radiators connected via a circulating pump to the main boiler.

The oil firing is fully automatic and thermostatically controlled. with electrical and mechanical safety devices. Dual ignition is provided by gas pilot jet and high-tension spark.

Crude oil of 200 sec. viscosity is burned after pre-heating.

The fuel cost for oil, taking into account the present taxation, is rather higher than the corresponding cost of coke. burned in an efficient system. Attendance, prime cost of installation (as compared with semi-automatic mechanical stoking) and ease of control make heavy oil an attractive proposition for a scheme of this size. Difficulty of access, and space for coke storage also had to be contended with at Matlock.

Sterilisation of the bath water is by chlorine and ammonia.

Wash water for the filters is drawn from the baths which are made up to level from the town mains. The water level of both baths is the same, which considerably simplifies plant arrangements.

General

The cafe is 15 ft. by 22 ft. and has an alcove with kitchen at one end and lavatories at the other. Access to the cafe balcony is by means of French windows, which may be kept wide open in fine weather. A flat roof, paved, in the same manner as the ground floor balcony with green tiles provides a roof garden with a good view of the Lido and a service lift and covered servery facilitate catering at this level. The floor of the cafe is constructed as a dance floor to admit of winter hiring and heating is by gas radiators built into the walls. The kitchen has an independent back entrance for the delivery of supplies. The equipment includes sinks, gas fired hot plates, cookers and boilers, cupboards and shelves, and suitable food storage accommodation. A w.c. for the use of the kitchen staff is provided.

All visible concrete surfaces, excepting the surrounds to the open pool, are painted with three coats of synthetic enamel after rubbing down to dead smooth finish with carborundum. The principal colours are green, cream, and crimson. The total cost of the scheme is approximately £12,000. The whole of the engineering, architectural, and reinforced concrete design and supervision of construction was carried out by Messrs. Husband and Clark. chartered civil engineers, of Sheffield.

Matlock Lido demolition completed by council

10th April 2012

The demolition of a Derbyshire town’s 74-year-old swimming pool has been completed.

Matlock Lido, built in 1938, was demolished after being replaced by a new £12m leisure centre on the outskirts of town last year. Derbyshire Dales District Council said the site on Imperial Road would be used as a car park in the short-term.

But it said it hoped to incorporate the land into a major redevelopment in the future. The Lido was originally an open-air pool until a roof was added in the 1970s. The district council said a report on expressions of interest in the site would be heard in the coming months.