Having read The Lido by Libby Page it brought back childhood memories of Tamworth Lido. I have lived in Tamworth for nearly 45+ years now and am now an outdoor swimmer at Dosthill quarry. The memories I have are of visiting Tamworth from Hodge Hill Birmingham as a treat day out. My school house team was Tamworth (blue) and my brother's was Warwick (Yellow). Kenilworth (Red) & Dudley (Green). There were two outdoor pools as I recollect - a paddling pool with a fountain in the middle, and the main pool which had ?a barrier? between deep and shallow end. Thank you for this extremely sad film showing its destruction state. I'm actually crying. How wonderful would this would have been during the heatwave and now that outdoor swimming is growing so much in popularity. 😥
So sad indeed ... Remember old day in hottest weather, pack of people going there having lot of splash day, didn't want go to home. Very heart breaking 😢 especially love old bath too. Snowdome aren't the same.
So very sad I used to be the first in the Lido as it was called then, when it opened in cold weather 5 years in a row in the 70s and those really hot summer days when the concrete was so hot you couldnt lie down, but mostly the happy sounds of kids splashing about and having great fun in the sun- And I met my wife Elaine (nee Clayton) in the indoor pool 1975 and were still happily married 41 years later Phill Chattaway now in South Devon
When will Tamworth Council ever learn? Probably never. Close the lido and build a concrete tank (I worked at both) Close the cinema and build a concrete box. Spoil the leisure grounds by building a concrete shopping centre. Spoil the rest of the leisure grounds by building the most convoluted ring road in existence. Progress. No. The new pool lasted a short while (compared to the original). The new cinema lasted a short while (compared to the original). Ankerside is on it's arse. And the roads are still not fit for purpose. Existing lidos (see Brighton) and cinemas (see Stockport) are thriving. History and culture can't simply be replaced. Shame on you Tamworth Councillors.
Great video. I don't think its 1992 though. I was working as a life guard in the indoor pool up to the point it was closed. I was 16 so it would have been 1993 while I was working there. Whenever I was in the canteen, you could see the outdoor pool and people would always ask me if the outdoor pool was going to open again. It had a big crack in the middle at that point with a small tree growing in it but it definitely wasn't demolished like on the video. I think that happened just before the indoor pool was demolished in 1994. Thanks for sharing the video though. I spent a lot of time in both the indoor and outdoor pools and has a lot of memories.
My brother and I used to go to the indoor swimming pool all the time with our grandparents. I remember they built a green slide/flume which started inside at the top of the building and went outside, round and round lots of times, and then it deposited swimmers inside again at the bottom by the small pool. But the stupid thing about it was that it only there for about 2 or 3 years between about 1990 and 1993 if I remember correctly. We couldn't believe they'd spent all that money on such an expensive slide and then demolished the whole thing just a few years later. Have I described it accurately?
That slide scarred the crap out of me as a child of 6 at a birthday party. Only went on the once lol. Started swimming lessons there, then joined the swimming club. Happy memories.
Shame the Council ran the baths and had it demolished to save money so the Snowdome could be build - both the outdoor and indoor were lovely bits of architecture. (Its nice to see the outdoor still but painful to see I full of concrete)
They built an expensive and elaborate slide/flume which actually went outside the building for most of its length, but it was only there for about 2 or 3 years. What a waste of money.
Wosrt thing they ever did the swimming baths overlooked the park fields ideal location, separate small pool large remember Saturday splash you could sit in the large canteen a real shame snow dome swim filthy expensive a real shame.
