heritage leaflet.pdf - Sandford Parks Lido

heritage leaflet.qxp 19/06/2007 09:20 Page 6The first swimming facility in Cheltenham wasthe Alstone Baths which were opened on June21st 1887. This facility was well used by the localpopulation and especially the CheltenhamSwimming and Waterpolo Club. Unfortunately itwas closed in 1978. Also dating from the 1880sis the Boys College swimming pool on CollegeBaths Road just to the east of the lido, which isnow used as offices for Cheltenham GeneralHospital.The Alstone BathsOn May 4th 1971 the Queen Mother officially opened the Pittville Recreation Centre. It wasrefurbished and reopened in 2003 with the new identity of ‘leisure@cheltenham’.History of LidosThe construction of hundreds of lidos in Britain during the 1930s was fuelled in part by thepopularity of swimming, and the drive by national and especially local government toimprove health and general fitness for the population. In 1926 Miss Gertrude Ederle wasthe first woman to swim the English Channel, beating the then male record by two hours,and the evolution of bathing apparel for women made swimming more accessible andacceptable. Before this women would effectively have to wear a costume which covered theirbody, legs and arms which was not really effective for swimming. The 1929 'Jantzen'designed costume was launched with the slogan'the suit that changed bathing intoswimming'. At the same time, sun worshipor sun bathing and enjoying the pleasuresand virtues of fresh air in the outdoors wasthe activity of choice and beach resortsboomed. Travelling to the seaside was notan option for everyone and local authorities,motivated to improve the health oftheir community, planned and created theoutdoor swimming arenas that were to bepopularly known as lidos.The term ‘lido’, derived from the Latin‘litus’ meaning 'shore' and was borrowedfrom the 11 mile long island that separatesVenice, Italy from the Adriatic Sea. Thename of this famous seaside resort with itssandy beach suitable for swimming hasbeen used worldwide.5