The Bournville Tenants Blog: The Bournville Lido (at Rowheath)

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Photo, above: Rowheath Pavilion and Bournville Lido at the far right, probably 1940s or 1950s.

The Bournville Lido was an outdoor swimming pool, one of many across the city, which were very popular in their heyday. Bournville Lido was built on a spring of natural mineral water, and was opened to the public on 2nd July 1937.

1937

2 July 1937, click to enlarge.

The two photos, above, show Edward Cadbury opening Bournville Lido on 2nd July 1937.

The image, below, depicts the Lido later that year, on the August bank holiday, when nearly 3,000 tickets were sold.

1st August 1937, click to enlarge.

During WWII it was used by the RAF barrage balloon section, and after the war was rebuilt and reopened in style by the Lord Mayor. The image, below, shows the event and dates it at 23rd May, but does not include the year.

Mid 1940s

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About 1947

c. 1947. Click to enlarge.

The photo above is dated 1947 by some and 1950s by others. It shows a district event.

1959

1959. Click to enlarge.

The three images above are stills from a short silent film of the 1959 Kings Norton Girls School Outdoor Swimming Gala. The full video can be seen here.

1960

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In 1960 a short film was made showing the lido being used for baptising Jehovah's Witnesses. See the film here.

1960s

1960s, click to enlarge.

Above: Two photos of a sunny day at Bournville Lido in the 1960s. Added with permission from Ian Knowles.

1970s

In 1972 the lido was closed down, but a group of local residents raised money to rebuild it, which was done between 1976 and 1977, but at a diminished size to the previous lido.

1977

1977. Click to enlarge.

The photo above is from 1977, and it shows the lido after it's been reduced, with the workers putting some finishing touches to the pool-side.

The lido was closed again in 1987 and demolished in 1997. The images below depict some time during those years.

c. 1990s