Bournville Village open air swimming pool

[Vivienne14]

Can’t say I was ever aware of this open air pool when I lived in Bournville. No idea where it would have been either. Viv.

 

[Morturn]

Nice find Viv. There are "Baths" marked on the map here:

 

[devonjim]

In the 1950's there was another pool at Row Heath. It was to the rear of the Kings Norton GS playing fields

 

[pjmburns]

There is a section here about the lido

Cadbury Bournville Lido-Rowheath from1896 - incl. other Cadbury pools

Cadbury Bournville Lido origin. Messrs Cadbury looked after their employees and provided many sporting facilities.

www.lostlidos.co.uk

 

[mikejee]

Rowheath was described as a lido, and not so close to the houses. I never visited them, but this must be what were , in the 1960s, described as the Men;s Baths, the Women's Baths being the far more imposing building on Bournville Lane. They are shown in red on the c 1937 mapm below

 

[pjmburns]

Strangely I can only find a Lido marked on the c1965 map. On earlier maps the piece of land is empty.


red marker in same place on modern map

 

[mikejee]

It is on the 1958 map on oldmaps site. According to Michael Harrison's book, the lido was built in 1937, so the mapmakers then would have just missed it

 

[Grea]

I often used the Bournville Lido in the 50s and 60s, wonderful place to be in the summer

 

[NoddKD]

Spent many happy hours at this pool mid sixties with my bestest mate ever ;Geoffrey. I recall making skimmers from five ice lolly sticks and skimming them across the pool. I seem to remember a huge diving board from which I never had the nerve to dive,jumping from it was scary enough.

Happy Days.
NoddKD

 

[Pned]

Rowheath was described as a lido, and not so close to the houses. I never visited them, but this must be what were , in the 1960s, described as the Men;s Baths, the Women's Baths being the far more imposing building on Bournville Lane. They are shown in red on the c 1937 mapm below

View attachment 163074

The baths marked here are what used to known as the "Mens baths". It was where I learned to swim in about 1956 under the guidance of Bill Smith. It was a small but deep pool where I later went on to the sub-aqua club, training most Wednesday evenings. Cadbury's also had the "Girls Pool" which was on Bournville Lane and the "Lido" which was at Rowheath.