A LONG-LOST swimming stadium in Morecambe is set to be excavated after more than half a decade.
The seaside lido, dubbed the “Morecambe Super Swimming Stadium” was first opened on July 27, 1936, by Bank of England governor, Sir Josiah Stamp.
Morecambe Bay’s long-lost swimming lido is set to undergo excavation[/caption]
The ambitious project will aim to excavate the site and make it a ‘major new attraction’[/caption]
Eden Project are working in the space which was once home to Europe’s largest outdoor pool[/caption]
The original pool was built on the site of TW Ward Ltd’s shipbreaking yard[/caption]
It is inspired by the ‘natural geometries, beauty and efficiency of seashells’[/caption]
Costing a reported £185,000 (over £13million today) and built on the site of TW Ward Ltd’s shipbreaking yard, at its peak the pool hosted around 27,000 swimmers over two days.
The “spectacular” venue – measuring 396ft by 110ft to make it the largest outdoor pool in Europe when it opened – also included a water polo area, diving stage, three-deck promenade, sun terrace and cafe.
Even after World War Two, the site played host to national and international swimming and aquatic events, including the Miss Great Britain and Miss World beauty contests.
However, it was demolished a year following its closure in 1975 after falling into disrepair.
But now the site has been set upon for an ambitious excavation project by the Eden Project Morecambe, in partnership with Lancaster University, Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council.
Oli Marshall, from architecture charity Twentieth Century Society, said the stadium was “almost in a different league to other surviving lidos we have – in terms of scale and ambition”.
As quoted by the BBC, he added the lost lido was “more of a stadium than an outdoor pool, accommodating some 1,200 bathers and 3000 spectators”.
The pool is said to have been built as a “grand gesture” to outdo Blackpool‘s huge neo-classical South Shore Swimming Coliseum of 1923 – another lost piece of Great Britain’s architecture.
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On the task of excavating the site, Eden Project said: “For many years Morecambe has been one of Britain’s most popular tourist destinations with visitors attracted to its stunning natural landscape. Eden Project Morecambe, a major new attraction, re-imagines Morecambe as a seaside resort for the 21st Century, inspiring wonder and a connection with the natural world drawing on the Eden Project’s focus on education, ecology and community.”
Eden Project said the transformative project will cost £100m and was inspired by the “natural geometries, beauty and efficiency of seashells”.
It added the plan would “house extraordinary living landscapes and immersive worlds inhabited by world-class art, performance, storytelling, interactive installations and play”.
Similar projects by Eden – which is based in Cornwall – have taken root in Dundee, Scotland as well as Australia, China, Dubai and Costa Rica.