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The lido under construction -
1934
Photograph courtesy of Cotswold Images
Originally the land was owned by Cheltenham College and
was purchased by Cheltenham Borough Council for use as allotments in
1927.
In the early 1930’s there was a
movement to improve the nations health and the first proposal was
heard at a Council meeting to suggest that the town would benefit
greatly if they built a Lido. Many Lido’s were under construction
around the Country especially in London. The Council committee was
split, half fully aware of the benefits it would bring not only for
the local community but also for visitors. However, there were grave
concerns over committing such expense at a time when the Country was
struggling with financial depression and mass unemployment.
Looking back it is astonishing
that so many local authorities were getting money for similar
projects at a time of mass unemployment with poverty in large
industrial areas and the world still feeling the impact of the 1929
wall street crash. |
