Southwark Park Lido

A bathing place was first mooted for Southwark Park as far back as the 1890’s but it did not come to fruition until September 1923 when this outdoor pool opened. It has always been open all year round bu, initially, the pool was screened from the main park by mounds of earth and there were no changing facilities until the next year. Bathers were required to hire costumes and towels.

The pool quickly became polular and by 1926 was recording visitor numbers of around 1,200 per day and as many as 5,000 at the height of the season. Mixed bathing was not allowed until the 1930’s. Women had to make do with one day per week.

During WWII, Southwark Park became a base for the military but this did not disrupt the pool opening. It was damaged by a bomb but the pool never closed.

Facilities continued to be improved with new changing rooms post war and a cafe in 1954.

The pool suffered from lower attendance numbers during the 1970’s and it was closeed in 1981 but the local residents complained and it was re-opened a year later. In 1984 the cafe became an art gallery and the lido finally closed in 1992.

It lay derelict for some years. A lottery grant was made available to the park in 1999 but by this time the pool was beyond saving and a children’s park was built on the site. Apparently the pool was only filled in and never demolished so it remains there under the playground.

The aerator remains, surrounded by fencing and slowly rotting away.