Just a few minutes’ walk through Peterborough’s city centre and across the pretty Bishop Road gardens you come to the imposing art deco Peterborough Lido. One of the few remaining open-air swimming pools built in the early 20th century.
Completed in 1936 Peterborough lido, or the Corporation Swimming Pool as it was then known, is a striking art deco building in the centre of the city, surrounded by gardens and adjacent to the River Nene embankment, it replaced the centuries old public swimming areas in shallower area of the River Nene.
The land on which it was built, was purchased by the City Corporation from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1927. During the Middle-ages that area of land, from the Cathedral all the way to the River Nene, was all part of the Cathedral gardens. During the 18th century some of the land now Bishops Road gardens and the site of the Crown court and adjacent carpark was used by a church bell casting foundry run by Henry Penn, a skilled bell-founder. In 1709, Penn cast a peel of ten bells for the Cathedral. Only one of the ten bells has survived. Called ‘the Voice of the City it rings each morning to announce the 11am service and can be heard by swimmers close by in the lido.
The two and a half acre site, closer to the river and embankment, was rumoured to have been a 19th century, Victorian rubbish dump. However, historical landfill sites maps showed the actual site of the dumps were further to the east and west along the river edge. Despite the official recorded evidence, Victorian pottery and bottles continue to be excavated by the rabbits that run wild in the area around the Lido, to this day.
In 1933 the City Council launched a competition to find an architect to to design a swimming pool. Five of the city’s leading architects responded. They agreed to worked together and charged the City Corporation no fee. They were S & SE Dodson, AW Ruddle, WP Hack, AW & HJ Wilson and Traylen, Lenton & Warwick.The Council then formed a Baths Committee of local councillors to oversee the project and applied for a loan to build an outdoor pool and an omnibus park. The workforce for the pool building work was drawn from the city’s unemployed men.
The final design was unlike any other open air swimming facility of the time and was influenced by Mediterranean buildings. With cream painted rendered walls and a green glazed panntiled hipped roof, It was said to resembled a Spanish Hacienda or even a Roman army camp. Although it was unheated when it was opened, the designers had included all the underground pipe work needed for a future heating system.
The rectangular pool was the conventional size of the time, 55 yards (50.25m) by 20 yards. The main pool being 8 feet 10 inches deep at the deep end, sloping to 2 feet 11 inches at the shallow end and holding 380,000 gallons of water. All Imperial measurements of the time. Each corner had a recessed set of steps into the water.
The building was designed with touches of the art deco design – displaying fashionable straight and symmetrical lines – built with reinforced concrete and lined with waterproof blue “Culamix” slabs. Other features were the under water illumination in the adult pool, the four art deco post lamps illuminating the children’s pool, and the art deco weathervane on the top of the Clock tower, depicting a bathing belle. The weathervane was made by Jack Hammond (whose family used to run the boat hire business at the river embankment when the family resided at the Customs House).
There were three diving boards including a high diving board and a spring board and a water chute slide at the deep end. Along the shallow end pool side there was a large three tier ornamental fountain. The also site, included a smaller children’s pool with a water chute slide at the deeper end. A large recreational lawn, sun bathing balcony over the changing cubicles and a small cafe, Art deco style poolside pillar lights and under water lights in the pool along all sides illuminated the area during evening swimming. A shallow paddling pool was added sometime during the 1970s.
The Lido was officially opened on May 28th 1936 at 2.30pm. by the Mayor, Councillor AH Mellows, and celebrated with a grand gala hosted by the City Corporation with events and competitions drawn from Cambridge University and The Bishop Stortford Colledge. The following year on July 30th 1937 a gala was organised by the newly formed Peterborough Swimming Club, with competing teams from St Ives and Spalding. Councillor Mellows became the swimming clubs first President and the club became known as CoPS and a long association was formed between the club and the City Council.
On June 8th 1940 a single German bomb damaged the Lido’s North-West corner pavilion. During the was the pool premises were used as an Air Raid Wardens station. After the bomb hit several young school boys arrived for their early morning swim and were shooed away by the Wardens. However, they then proceeded to search the area for souvenirs to show their school friends. The pool was reopened within weeks and the pavilion was completely restored after the war.
From its opening in 1936 many of the city’s children looked forward to the spring opening of the lido each year with their parents shelling out for a reasonable priced season ticket. Many children joined the swimming club and the club held annual galas that were often quite lavish affaires. There were swimming and lifesaving lessons, for all, adults as well as children.
Peggy Wright, a swimming teacher, with a reputation of being firm but fair had a long history with the pool. Born around 1924 the 12 year old Peggy was given the honour of being the first person to dive into the newly opened pool at its official opening in 1936. As well as her swimming classes, she formed a synchronised swimming team. The team, wearing red costumes and flowery swim hats performed in public many times. Peggy was honoured for her services to swimming. Receiving her honour, at Buckingham Palace, from the late Queen Mother. In 1994 after 50 years teaching and as the longest serving swimming teacher in the country she retired.
In 1968 the swimming club gala was a spectacular affaire. Bill Marriott, a swimming club member who, was also was a strong swimmer who won many races and medals, became the clubs gala secretary. He pulled together a lavish program that included a parade of vintage swim wear. Fifty models from the club and local theatre groups paraded fifty costumes provided by Studio Margaret of Wisbech.
A Sub Aqua club was formed and began to use the lido as its Peterborough headquarters in the early 1970s. Their club room is the room under the clock tower and they meet Monday evenings.
Police Inspector John Walker had a long association with the lido. A strong swimmer who often competed in galas, became a founder member of the pools life saving club. He taught many hundreds of children from the age of one year to teenager up to 17 years old. With the need to teach children to swim and learn rudimentary lifesaving, local schools transported children by bus to swimming lessons each week, in the summer. In 1974 the city in conjunction with the Pool ran a successful ‘Learn to Swim’ campaign aimed at children and adults of the city.
Brian Brinkley. In 1963 a 11-year-old school boy joined the swimming club (COPS). This lad was Brian Brinkley MBE. Training in the lido, Brian went on to become a successful competitive swimmer who, during the 1970s, represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games of 1972 and 1976, the FINA world championships, the European championships, and England in the Commonwealth Games. The City Council employed Brian as a coach for a several years, training several Channel swimmers during his time at the lido. One such Channel swimmer, Lynn Tetley went on to become the first diabetic woman to swim the English Channel.
The pool was drained of water early each spring and during the Cold War years of the 1950s and 60 the site was sometimes used for Civil Defence exercises.
Walter Cornelius. The 1960s to 1984 was the era of Walter Cornelius. Walter, real name, Voldemārs Korņejevs, was born 11th April 1924. Escaping the oppressive Communist regime in his home country, Latvia, Walter arrived in England as a refugee. He became a lifeguard for the Lido and as well, became a renowned strongman, stuntman, and a charity fund raiser . During his time at the lido, he taught many children to swim and dive. There is a plaque that celebrates Walter in the Lido foyer and a weathervane depicting his Bird-man stunt, when for charity, he attempted to ‘fly’ across the River Nene using enormous plywood wings. A stunt he knew was doomed to fail.
In 1973 a small hand dug tunnel was found next to the boundary wall of the lido, it seems that a few of the city’s children may have been attempting to tunnel in for free swims! Over the subsequent years, as the city expanded, the lido faced further vandalism and deterioration.
The opening of the Regional indoor swimming pool in 1976 did not affect the lido attendance for a few years but slowly as children and adults got used to the warmth of an indoor pool, the summer attendance at the lido dropped. Over the years It faced damage from vandals and the original metal casement windows and fanlights over the entrance have now been filled in and painted over. In 1989 the Council’s aim was to demolish it and sell the land to reduce the Councils Poll tax bill. Public opinion kept this from happening.
Then in 1991, a fire in the South East pavilion, left the city a huge repair bill. The Lido survived again when Councillor Neville Sanders dipped into his own pocket and paid the bill. Councillor Sanders also paid to keep the lido open in the following two years. However, the lido’s future was again threatened after a massive fall in attendance as the opening Indoor pool and sports facility gained popularity with the public. This prompted a ‘Save Our Swimming Pool’ campaign run by the City’s newspaper, the Evening Telegraph, and in 1992 it was reprieved, refurbished, and granted Grade 11 Listed building status. A second fire in the same pavilion in 1995 created a further £50000 repair bill for the Council.
The History of the. Lidos management. Pre 1991 the Outdoor swimming pool and sports facilities were operated by the Councils Recreation Department. Then between 1991 and 2003 the facilities were managed , still managed ‘in-house’ but by the Council’s Direct Service Organisation (DSO)
From 2003 the pool and sports facilities operated under Contract by a company called DC Leisure.
Then in 2009 a small group of local people, interested in improving the cultural image of Peterborough came together. They advertised in the local paper for like minded people to help organise and promote a cultural policy for the City. So, Vivacity, Peterborough Cultural Trust, a completely independent, not for profit charity, was formed. Its name, Vivacity or Viva-city reflected its aim for vibrant city.
In October 2024, a new not for profit company was formed to manage all council run leisure and heritage sites across the city including the museum, and the Lido Its name, Peterborough Culture Heritage, Learning and Leisure (PCHLL), on contract to run until March 2029. The newly formed organisation, completely independent of the Council, set about getting a contract from the City Council and in 2010, in a time when many councils were cutting back Vivacity took over most of the councils sports and leisure obligations. It thrived and further improvements were made with a refurbished café, a high-quality new pool liner, a state-of-the-art filtration system, refurbished changing cubicles, brand-new lockers and in 2018 the installation of a new boiler and heating system.
In 2021, post Covid, the organisations previously managed by Vivacity, including the Lido, came under the management of Peterborough Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Peterborough City Council. They kept the Vivacity brand name and continued to improve facilities at the Lido.
The Friends Of Peterborough Lido FoPL. In 2017 a group of dedicated swimmers launched the idea to form a Friends of the Lido group. This idea took off and with the help and encouragement of the Vivacity management team, The Friends of Peterborough Lido (FoPL) was formed. Their aim to support the lido’s management and help to promote open air lido swimming.
In 2020 the WHO declared a worldwide Covid 19 Pandemic. The Government locked down the country and the Lido closed for the whole year, along with other organisations and businesses, Vivacity found it could not survive financially. The not-for-profit organisation folded and the lido with their other sports and leisure organisations, was handed back to the Peterborough City Council. During the year that the lido was closed volunteers from the Friends of the lido went in and cleared the weeds and debris that in preparation and hopeful that the pool would reopen following the Pandemic. Indeed with social distancing and caution swimming outdoors became the safer option for most swimmers and the lido was able to safely operate before the indoor pool.
Re-emerging from the Covid Pandemic in 2021, the organisations previously managed by Vivacity, including the Lido, came under the management of Peterborough Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Peterborough City Council. They kept the Vivacity brand name and continued to improve facilities at the Lido. Other activities were introduced including Poolside Yoga, Tai Chi, Boot camp and in the water, Aqua aerobics and Aqua zumba. The original art deco pillar lights were refurbished and once again moonlight swims, Solstice swims and post season doggie swims introduced. Local theatre company performed Shakespeare on the lawn. The season started earlier April and for the first time in 2023 there was an extended season right through to 10th December. For the first time in history swimmers swam in Spring, Summer Autumn and Winter weather including , rain, snow, hail, sleet, and sunshine.
The National Geographic magazine, in 2021, published a list of the 10 best Lido in the UK. Peterborough Lido headed this list. The article says of Peterborough’s historic pool: “Topped by a weathervane immortalising local legend Walter Cornelius, a Latvian immigrant who worked as a lifeguard and tried to fly across the River Nene using homemade wings. This huge 1936 complex is in sight of Peterborough’s famous cathedral and features architecture that might remind the swimmer of a 1980s suburban Tesco. There’s lido-themed poetry etched on to the walls, pools for kids, a sun deck and pop music playing from speakers to buoy your spirit”
In May 2026 the lidos 90th year PCHLL Vivacity organised a series of events to celebrate the Birthday weekend.
Written and researched by Monica Ilett.
