Broomhill Pool

Grade II listed Broomhill Lido

Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, England.

Status

Broomhill Pool opened on April 30th 1938 and closed in the autumn of 2002, therefore the last season where people could actually swim in the lido was the summer of 2002. The realization that it was closed permanently didn't fully filter through until February 2003; at this point the local (Ipswich)Evening Star carried a front page headline asking if Broomhill was now "Doomhill."

There was a strong public response to this news and a campaign to see Broomhill Pool re-opened and restored has been fought since that time.

At time of writing, Broomhill Pool is just one of twelve Grade 2 listed Lido (swimming pool) in Great Britain.

East Anglia’s last 50+ metre outdoor pool (165 ft x 60ft complying with all 1938 A.S.A & A.D.A requirements).

East Anglia’s only Grade 2 listed lido.

East Anglia’s last outdoor diving boards (believed to be the last surviving set of Wicksteed diving boards in the world).

Ipswich’s last “moderne” style building.

Originally heated to 70f/21c until the boilers were requisitioned for WW2. A restored Broomhill will have sustainable and economical energy heating; and could open 6–9 months pa. Could be restored at a cost of just £3.9m (with up to 50-75% possibly coming from non-taxpayer funding).

Heritage Site

Broomhill Pool is located on Sherrington Road, and within Broomhill Park, N.W Ipswich.

The original birth place of Ipswich Town F.C. who played their first matches 1878-1888 before moving to Portman Road. The land was owned by the Sherrington family who were instrumental in the formation of Ipswich Town Football Club. The land was sold to the Borough of Ipswich for park land in 1925. The pool is built within Broomhill Park.

Sherrington Road is named after Ipswich schoolboy Sir Charles Scott Sherrington who won the 1932 Nobel Prize for medicine; and became OM (Order of Merit, one of Britain’s highest honours). He lived nearby at Valley Road.

A gem from the art deco period, Broomhill Open Air Swimming Pool was built at a cost of £17,000 and opened in April 1938. Originally heated, its boilers were requisitioned for the war effort in 1941. Over 50 metres long and 8 lanes wide, the pool was 4.5 metres deep at the deep end, accommodated 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 metre diving boards, a grandstand for 700 spectators, and underwater flood lighting.

Broomhill Pool was included as one of the case studies in Janet Smith's book "Liquid Assets - the lidos and open air pools of Britain" (English Heritage 2005)

The Twentieth Century Society featured Broomhill Pool as their Building of the Month in February 2006.

English Heritage have also recognised the importance of lidos and inluded them in the NMR - National Monuments Record - on the website PASTSCAPE http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1438431

For the last few years the pool site has been open to the public on the Heritage Open Days and it was open again this year: 12 and 13 September 2009 from 10am-5pm. See www.savebroomhillpool.org for details. (Please note that entrance to the pool is from Sherrington Road and not Broomhill Road)

The October 2009 issue of the Swimming Times carries a three-page article on the progress of the campaign so far. The latest development is that Ipswich Borough Council have advertised the lido on Leisure Opportunities and asked for "Expressions of Interest."

The Broomhill Pool Trust

Broomhill has been central to Suffolk summers for many generations. It was a social melting pot and had a special appeal for children who were able to spend all day in the fresh air in attractive surroundings, in a safe, healthy environment. The Pool building is one of the most attractive Lido style open-air pools in Britain and has an unrivalled position on the edge of Broomhill Park. Broomhill Pool is the only Olympic length open-air pool in Suffolk & Norfolk. Broomhill is practical, healthy & living heritage, and we believe that we should not become complacent and simply lose such facilities.

The Trust has fought doggedly for seven years to keep the plight of Broomhill pool in the public eye and on the political radar. We have lobbied politicians, raised vital fighting funds, managed a feasibility study, achieved a £1,000,000 guarantee from Ipswich Borough Council; and with good fortune will win the remaining vital funding from identified lottery and government funding to secure the future of the pool.

References

• Merrick, Jay (23 April 2003). "Pulling the plug". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
• "Building of the Month: Broomhill Open Air Pool, Ipswich, Suffolk 1938". The Twentieth Century Society. February 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
• "Crumbling lido wins architecture award". East Anglian Daily Times. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
• "Broomhill team marks anniversary". Evening Star. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-12.

External links

• The Broomhill Pool Trust

Oliver Merrington's website on Lidos