Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

Morecambe – Super Swimming Stadium. Dug out 1935 opened 1936!

Morecambe – Super Swimming Stadium 1936

‘Morecambe was set for the  costliest yet most popular enterprise.’

The £130,000 Swimming Pool was opened by Sir Josiah Stamp.  He was  President of the L.M.S  (London Midland and Scottsh Railway?? inset)  July 27th 1936.
The pool remarkably took only 13 months to take shape.  The basin of the baths was in formation during June 1935, and by…

Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

The Super Swimming Stadium Basin dug out June 1935  Morecambe and  Lancaster Local collections  1994  Lynn Willman 1994

 

Swimming Stadium - image

The Super Pool complete in July 1936!  Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections 1994  Lynn Willman

…July 1936 was ready to open.

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Proud Committee at the Opening. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections 1994 Lynn Willman

The first Baths Manager for Morecambe was Mr Leonard Flook. He was invited to judge the final heat of the Miss Great Britain contest.

Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

The two faces of Mr Leonard Flook,  first Baths Manager.  The Guardian  August 1973. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections  Lynn Willman 1994

Morecambe was the fore- runner for holding Beauty Contests. It was the idea of Mr Leonard Flook.

‘Nobody had thought about it before!’

Click on picture  to go to Pathe clip. It’s not all roses to be a Beauty Queen Brrr!


The winner of the very first contest received £50 and a cup.  The past Sunday Dispatch sponsored it and then it evolved into the Miss Great Britain and World Contest.

The super swimming stadium was one of Morecambes proudest features. National and International swimming and aquatic events were staged throughout the year.

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Young Children took their “Blue Seagull Award” Original main picture Morecambe and Lancaster Local Studies  Lynn Willman 1994

Visited by 27,000 bathers in two days!  This majestic pool opened 7 days a week including floodlit bathing.  It was the longest open air pool in Europe.

Beauty Pageant Miss Great Britain 1969 – in colour. Click picture to go to the Pathe clip

Good views of the pool in these clips. Judging Stars included Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, and Wilfred Pickles to judge Miss Great Britain.

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Busy Lido Morecambe and Lancaster Local Studies Lynn Willman 1994

Young children earned their “Blue Seagull Award” for swimming one length of the pool. The pool was a massive 396″ft x 110 ft. There were Aqua shows every year – exhibition diving and the resident “Aquacascades”

It was announced that the super swimming stadium would not be included in the holiday guide for 1975. The stadium would not open again due to structural defects.  It was always hoped that once structural engineers had been approached this beautiful pool would come alive again, but it was not to be. It was demolished in 1976,  part of which was changed for use as a Dolphinarium, then eventually all gone, and became a Leisure Park[…]

Read more…St. Leonards, Hastings. Another vast swimming arena

 

Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

The famous Morecambe “Aqucascades” . Taken from the 1963 Official Guide to Morecambe.  Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections. Lynn Willman 1994

The Finality

From proud opening …

Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

Happy and proud moment

to…

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Gone!


The Super Swimming Stadium no more. 1976. Morecambe and Lancaster Local Collections. 1994 enlarge +  Lynn Will man 1994

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The Site of the Swimming Stadium today. The Leisure Park

Many visits to my Morecambe page since ITV The Bay Episode 6 was shown . The Lido in question was Grange over Sands which featured in the episode…

Campaigns are in progress to save this lovely designed Lido

Site of Morecambe Swimming Stadium - image

Site of Morecambe swimming stadium. Geo reference 1949-69 map. Will expand to full view ++

More pools on Lido index

 

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