Celebrating 100 years of Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge

It is one of the few surviving examples of the lidos built around the country in the 1920s and 1930s and, at 300 feet long, is one of the longest outdoor swimming pools in the country. write Adrian Peel and Paul Brackley.

Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge has entered its 100th anniversary celebrations with a busy schedule of events culminating in a Family Day on August 28 – the date it opened in 1923.

But if warmer, more comfortable bathing options naturally exist in the city’s leisure facilities, what is it about the lido that gives it lasting appeal?

Tim Bick, local councilor and regular user of the lido, said: “I joined the community of Lido swimmers during the pandemic and found that the Lido experience impacts people’s well-being in many different ways. For me, those long, long lengths are for reflection: the time after in the sauna, for camaraderie.

“I think it’s a real gem in the heart of our city that many people have yet to discover – and they don’t have to be particularly strong or strong swimmers. I became one of the voices called for to open the Lido all winter long – after discovering how exciting it is to experience cold water, even in the coldest months. That has been a great success. What better time for others to try it than the beginning of the second hundred years?”

The pool’s unusually long, thin design is just 14 meters wide, with a depth of 1.2 meters at both ends and a maximum depth of 2.5 meters in the middle – the only section where diving is allowed. the nearby River Cam in mind.

Julie Durrant, leisure officer at Cambridge City Council, said: “It mimics the river – that’s why it was built 100 years ago. People were swimming in the river and wanted a safer place to swim, so they built Jesus Green.”

There have been some failed attempts to close the pool, but it has survived – and undergone some significant changes.

In 1956 it was converted from river water to tap water. Originally the water was drawn by gravity from above the weir and discharged into the lower river, but it now has a closed pumping system.

In the late 1980s, the Friends of Jesus Green Lido group was formed in the late 1980s to secure the future of the pool.

Then came a major upgrade in 1997, when new shower and toilet facilities were added – not without some architectural controversy and plumbing issues.

However, many original features have been retained, although the diving boards and cafe shared with Jesus Green have been removed.

To mark the anniversary, swimmers can’t miss the new black and gold sign, designed and painted by Carlie Allan of Buck & Bear, Newmarket. Meanwhile, a trio of penguins, created and installed by the Cambridge Yarn Collective, have appeared at the pool, complete with swimsuits, hats and goggles. Visually, the anniversary is also marked with a series of lamppost banners designed by Anglia Ruskin University’s first-year BA illustration students as part of a project organized by the Friends of Jesus Green Lido. The artwork will be on display at the pool and along Victoria Avenue through December.

Other commemorations have come in the form of Nothing great is ever easy, a one-man play, performed in June and again on Saturday (August 12) by Chris Hudson about Captain Webb, the first person to swim across the Channel, a summer soiree, with hundreds of tickets sold. On June 24, a swimming masterclass was taught by former Olympic swimmer Cassie Patten, a fitness day and a swim from dawn to dusk. An Enchanted Cinema event featuring Jawswas also held in the pool last Wednesday (August 9).

Julie said: “We’ve had a lot of activities. The one left now is on August 28, the centenary of the day it opened.

“It will be a fun family day with a range of children’s activities, music and a barbecue. The mayor is coming to visit and we will have a cake sale, a baking competition and hopefully some inflatables in the water if the weather is nice.”

And there is plenty to celebrate, because according to Julie, the lido is now more popular than ever.

“Since the pandemic, outdoor swimming was one of the first things to be reintroduced,” said Julie, “so we opened Jesus Green earlier than usual, then kept it open. People really liked it, so we kept our membership quite high.”

This is the second year that, after consultation, it will open all year round, instead of closing at the end of the summer. Swimmers can enjoy a swim in the fresh air every day from 7am to 7pm until the end of September, with modified opening hours in October. From November 1, it will then be open each week for different morning and evening sessions for those who don’t let the cooler air stop them from swimming outside.

The highest water temperature at the pool, which is only heated by solar heat this year, was 23.8 degrees Celsius on June 28. In July, temperatures were typically between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius, but at some point in November you can expect temperatures to dip below 10 degrees Celsius. . On December 18 last year the temperature dropped to 1 degrees Celsius, although by the end of the year the temperature rose again to a pleasantly balmy 6 degrees…

And in case you’re wondering, the largest freshwater lido is Tooting Bec Lido in London, which is the same length as Jesus Green Lido, but 30 meters wide.

Visit jesusgreenlido.org to book your swim session.