The summer holidays have been marred by miserable weather and crowds of staycationers clogging the motorways to the coast.
Yet all this has meant a spike in popularity for public amenities that many thought were past their sell-by date: the lidos.
‘They are part of the organic, healthy living, wild-swimming lifestyle which is so fashionable,’ says James Greenwood, of Stacks Property Search.
Restored: The art deco Tinside Lido on Plymouth Hoe reopened this year. Lidos are found throughout the country, even in small towns and villages
‘Lidos are a great alternative to the coast as well as being a meeting point for like-minded people. Having one close by would certainly sway a buyer to make an offer.’
Lidos are found throughout the country, even in small towns and villages such as Hathersage in Derbyshire and Chagford in Devon.
London has several and some, such as Tooting Bec Lido, one of the longest in England at 91 m, are well known.
‘Access to lidos is now one of the key drivers within the decision-making process,’ says Plum Fenton, a London market specialist at Haringtons. ‘That is why Highgate, Hampstead, Royal Docks and Bayswater are particularly appealing.’
Unsurprisingly, the spa resort of Cheltenham has one of the country’s most elegant lidos. Situated in Sandford Park, next to the River Chelt, it is surrounded by lawns.
I like meeting up with the other regulars in the picnic areas after a swim
Cheltenham resident, Lindsay Gray
It was a decisive factor for Lindsay Gray in choosing Cheltenham as a place to live seven years ago.
‘I like meeting up with the other regulars in the picnic areas after a swim,’ says Lindsay, 67. ‘An indoor pool seems boring in comparison.’
Cheltenham is popular with buyers Down From London (DFLs). ‘They are attracted by the schools, the festivals and the arts scene and the lido is part of the package,’ says Chris Jarrett, of Savills. ‘The housing market is the hottest I have seen it in 25 years.’
The heyday of lidos was the 1930s when 169 of them were built. Sadly, many closed in the second half of the last century as people had become used to holidays abroad and warm indoor pools.
But lidos have been making a comeback which is on-going. London Fields Lido reopened in Hackney in 2006 and Clifton Lido in Bristol was back in use in 2008.
London has several lidos, including this one in Tooting which is one of the country’s longest
Now one of the most ambitious restorations under way is at Cleveland Pools, close to the river in Bath.
This semi-circular lido, an echo of Bath’s Georgian crescents, was built in 1815 and closed in 1984. When it re-opens in 2022, the Georgian changing rooms will have been refurbished and the river landing stage re-instated for people to arrive by boat.
Like Cheltenham, Bath is a favourite with DFLs; 40 per cent of homes there were sold to London buyers in 2018.
All that Georgian splendour does not come cheap. To live within range of the refurbished Cleveland Pools will cost about £1 million for a townhouse. A two-bedroom flat goes for at least £300,000
L idos are not solely found in expensive county towns. Pontypridd in the South Wales Valleys — a town more renowned for rugby than its architecture — has a beauty. Lido Ponty retains its original outdoor changing boxes, dating from 1927.
Pontypridd, Tom Jones’s hometown, is starting to attract more buyers. Prices are the lure with the average detached house at £250,000, according to Rightmove.
Overlooking the sea at Plymouth Hoe is Tinside Lido, which re-opened in May, and has been voted one of the best ten outdoor pools in Europe. ‘It is the centrepiece of the new and improved waterfront,’ says Roger Punch of Marchand Petit. ‘It’s great for families and sure to be a big selling point.’
What makes a lido so special? ‘(It) produces a new swimmer,’ writes Christopher Beanland in his book, Lido, ‘A fresher, healthier, stronger, mentally cleansed version of the person who arrived with a head full of thoughts but will leave with only one: ‘It’s time to eat cake.’ ‘
Which explains why owning a house near a lido is such an enticing prospect.
Fred Redwood
