Wikipedia

Broomhill Pool

Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.

Broomhill Pool
Map
52°04′06″N 1°08′28″E / 52.06834°N 1.141071°E / 52.06834; 1.141071
LocationSherrington Road, Ipswich
Opened1938
Closed2002**
Owned byIpswich Borough Council
ArchitectE. McLauchlan
StatusGrade II Listed
Length165 feet (50 m)
Width60 feet (18 m)
WebsiteThe Broomhill Pool Trust
  • An ongoing campaign has been fought by the Broomhill Pool Trust and lido campaigners since 2002 to see the lido restored and reopened.

Status

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Broomhill Pool opened on 30 April 1938 and closed in the autumn of 2002.

The lido was built in 1938 for £17,000 by the County-Borough of Ipswich. It was designed by E. McLauchlan, the County-Borough Engineer and Surveyor.

Broomhill Pool became a Grade II listed building on 23 August 2001.[1][2]

The lido is built within Broomhill Park. It is close to Broomhill Library which was built in 1942 as a WW2 bomb-proof decontamination unit. Broomhill Library was Grade II listed in 2012. English Heritage highlighted the "Group value: the relationship between the former gas decontamination centre and the adjacent Broomhill lido holds important group value; the style of the decontamination centre was designed to mirror the facade of the adjacent Broomhill Lido (listed at Grade II), and both were designed by Borough Engineer E. McLauchlan".[3]

Broomhill Pool is a founding member of Historic Pools of Britain [4] "Established in 2015, Historic Pools of Britain is the first body ever to represent historic swimming pools in this country. These unique indoor and outdoor pools make a significant contribution to the social and architectural history of Britain and play a hugely important role in our communities"

Janet Smith wrote, in her definitive book "Liquid Assets" (Published 2005): “Broomhill may lack the national profile accorded to Saltdean, Tinside or Penzance, but it is arguably their equal in architectural significance”.

Proposed restoration

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The Broomhill Pool Trust is a registered charity (No.1102659) which aims to restore Broomhill Pool; the last remaining Olympic length, grade II listed lido in Suffolk & Norfolk for full public use.

In December 2017, Fusion Lifestyle secured Heritage Lottery Funding stage 2 full grant of £3.4m. Fusion will invest over £2m.[5] In August 2018 Ipswich Borough Council increased their commitment to £1.5m to secure the scheme.[6]

The £7.25m restoration commenced in 2020 and the pool was due to reopen in 2021, however this was delayed and the project now faced a shortfall in funding.[7]

In January 2024, a funding deal was finally struck between stakeholders Ipswich Borough Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fusion Lifestyle. The restoration is now looking toward completion in 2026.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ Historic England. "Broomhill Pool (Grade II) (1389400)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  2. ^ Historic England. "Broomhill Pool (1438431)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Westbourne Library (1590781)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ^ https://historicpools.org.uk/member_pools/broomhill-open-air-swimming-pool-ipswich/ [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Ipswich's Broomhill Pool gets £3.4m National Lottery jackpot for Christmas | Ipswich Star". 20 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Watch: Broomhill's restoration set to be secured by extra £500,000 from Ipswich council". 24 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Ipswich swimming pool charity's 'last chance' plea to save lido". BBC News. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Funding package secured for Broomhill Pool restoration". BBC News. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Campaigner delighted that Ipswich's Broomhill lido will reopen". BBC News. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
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