Name: Grange Lido Location: Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria Current status: Closed Date built: 1932 Architect: Bernard Smith (the council surveyor) Listed building status: Grade II Lead organisation: Save Grange Lido
Description
A very fine intact Art Deco mushroom shaped lido in a stunning setting on the edge of Morecambe Bay just south of the Lake District National Park.
Facilities
The pool is 50m long and bordered by an entrance block with upper viewing gallery and attached sun decks, detached changing wings, terraces, pump house, paddling pool and a stepped diving stage.
Notable facts
Grange-over-Sands was transformed from a fishing village to a popular resort following the arrival of the railway in 1857. In the 1930s every self-respecting seaside town had a Lido but almost all of them have been demolished – Grange Lido is the only one of its type left in the North of England. The lido closed in 1993 and its fate has hung by a thread ever since.
Current plans
Local people overwhelmingly support the re-opening of Grange Lido. Save Grange Lido formed in 2011 and secured the listing of the Lido. It has a clear vision and Business Plan which demonstrates how the lido could benefit local residents, visitors to the area and the local economy. The next stage is to convince the local council that an operating Lido is preferable to filling it in. The Council has earmarked £1.8m for restoration of the site and further funding is being sought.
