Swimming is Britain’s second favourite form of physical recreation (after walking). But while almost everyone has memories – good or bad! – of visiting their local baths, increasingly only a few get to swim in a truly historic pool, such as the Grade II listed Westbury Baths, opened in 1888. Rich with decorative tile-work, stained glass, polished wood and terracotta detailing, some of our surviving Victorian and Edwardian baths are veritable water palaces. This sense of municipal pride continued into the 1920s and ’30s, when Art Deco and Modernist lidos became the urban beaches of their day. In this lecture, architectural historian and sporting heritage expert Simon highlights the treasures of aquatic art that survive, and considers how the pools of today compare.

Two were shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, while another, on British football grounds, was chosen by journalist Frank Keating as the best sports book of the 20th century. 

One highpoint in his work for English Heritage was the listing of a 1970s skatepark in Essex, a world first that made the 10 o’clock news.

Image: Westbury Pool, 1888

Picture Credit: Historic England. 

There will be a 24 hour protected recording of this lecture