Outdoor swimming at Droitwich Lido this Summer
Droitwich Spa Lido is one of the UK’s last remaining inland, open-air, saltwater swimming pools. It boasts a 40m pool, wet play area, sun terrace & Little Al’s café so you’re sure to have a memorable day out. All of our facilities are fully accessible.
The Droitwich Spa Lido has a rich history. The town of Droitwich Spa is situated on top of vast deposits of salt, which has been extracted from there for centuries. The town has been the site of a settled community for over 2000 years, and was even referred to as ‘Saltwich’, by the Anglo-Saxons. The towns spa facilities underwent development in the 19th century, hence the name “Droitwich Spa”.
Droitwich Spa’s natural brine contains 2½ lbs of salt per gallon – which is ten times stronger than sea water, and rivalled only by the Dead Sea.
Back when the Droitwich Spa Lido originally opened in 1935, diluted brine was pumped from local streams, and was to keep the pool aseptic (free from contamination caused by bacteria or viruses), without the need for additional chemicals to be added to the pool. The Lido was heated up to the exact temperature of the Mediterranean Sea, and was marketed as the “seaside of Droitwich Spa”. The Mediterranean feel was highly spoken of in the press at the time.
The Droitwich Spa Bathing Lido – as it was once called – opened on 10th June, 1935, providing ‘the exhilaration of open-air bathing with bathroom comfort’. A wonderful addition to the existing spa facilities in the town, the Lido was seen as a worthy investment, with the intention of softening the blow of the 1930s depression.
The Lido permanently closed its doors in the Autumn of 2000. In April of 2005, the people of Droitwich Spa held a parish poll in which 98% voted in favour of restoring The Lido. Following on from this, SALT (Saving a Lido Today) worked with the District and Town councils to restore the Lido to a working condition.
In the Summer of 2007, the Lido re-opened with a newly refurbished pool. The water still benefits from a natural brine feed and the original 1930s fascia was left intact.
Today, the original Art Deco building stands tall at one end of the pool, and the Lido is nestled in beautiful, lush green parkland.
Droitwich Spa Lido is one of the last remaining inland open-air, saltwater swimming pools. Boasting a 40m pool, a wet play area for the kids, a sun terrace with beautiful wisteria and Little Al’s Café, and fully accessible facilities – you are sure to have a memorable day out.
The Lido continues to attract thousands of yearly visitors to its beautiful and uniquely brine-fed pool.
