The West Heath Lido, an oval pool with a sloping shingle beach section at one end, was opened in July 1937 by Gracie Fields and with Mr Ronald Cartland, MP for Northfield & Kings Norton presiding.
The opening day attracted thousands of people who lined up along adjacent streets hoping to see the star.
The facility was not only a pool. As part of the project there were facilities for keep fit, a fun fair, dance hall, open-air stage, chalets, an archery lawn, putting green and children’s playground. The lido had it’s own resident band the Bath K-nights!
The lido was a large one at 180’ x 90’ and had ample surrounding areas for sunbathing and spectating.
The project was the work of Percy W Hollier, and he declared “The Bath Tub will never be complete because improvements and extensions will go on indefinitely.” Tempting fate, I think.In the weeks following the opening, a variety of acts had been booked including Mantovani & His Dance Orchestra, The Whirlwinds Death Defying Skaters and Capt. Strelsky & His Cossack Orchestra. Dance demonstrations were provided by Billy Socker and Dorothy Bethridge.
It was an ambitious endeavour on 11 acres, but the lido was not the success that Hollier expected and coupled with the approaching hostilities, the lido closed in 1939.
The premises was taken over by Eddystone Radio Products and they remained on site until their lease expired in 1995 when the site was demolished. It seems that the pool itself was not filled in for many years. An aerial image of 1945 shows the pool and ex-employees of Eddystone report the pool somewhat filled in but still with 6’ of water and acting as host to wildlife.
Full details of the opening programme are reproduced below.
| Name | West Heath Lido aka The Bath Tub Alvechurch Road, West Heath, Birmingham, West Midlands B31 3PF, England |
| Built / opened | 1st July 1937 by Gracie Fields |
| Cost | £30,000 for the whole project |
| Dimensions | 180′ x 90′ |
| Water volume | |
| Water type | |
| Depth(s) | 14″ beach to 14′ diving pit |
| Diving boards | 5-level diving stage |
| Changing facilities | For 1,000 per hour usimng canvas bags with separate compartments for shoes and allowing garments to be hung up |
| Second pool | N/A |
| Spectator seating | |
| Designer | |
| Date closed | 1939 |
| Status | Demolished |
| On site now | Housing and children’s playground |
| Links | |
| Last updated | 13th May 2025 |
Programme of events for the opening ceremony
Thursday July 1st 1937 at 9pm. Doors open at 7.30pm. The entire programme will be Compered by Fred Culpitt, of Douglas Wakefield Road Show fame.
| 7.30 | Mantovani personally conducting his famous Recording and Radio Dance Orchestra |
| The Bath Tub (K)nights Sextette, Leader Jack Gibson | |
| 8.15 | Wilkie & Victoria, Blackpool’s most famous Divers and Swimmers |
| 9.00 | Personal appearance of Miss Gracie Fields from the Birmingham Hippodrome, who will formally open the Bath Tub in a Novel Fashion |
| 10.00 | Wilke & Victoria, in a further novel Aquatic presentation |
| 10.30 | Firework Display |
