Merseyside was once home to an outdoor swimming pool where generations of families would spend their days during the summer, despite the water being "freezing".
Derby Pool in Wallasey, Wirral, was a 330ft (100m) long rectangular swimming pool which had a high diving board, spring boards, fountains and a chute. There was also a two-tier pavilion and terrace where sunbathers could soak up the sun or shelter from the sea breeze.
The swimming pool opened in 1932 on Harrison Drive and was the first of its kind along the Wallasey coastline, with the popular New Brighton pool later opening. Derby Pool was damaged several times over the years by bad weather, before being demolished in 1980. A Harvester pub now stands where the swimming pool once was, fittingly called The Derby Pool.
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The swimming pool was known for its freezing temperature, with many people remembering it well for this exact reason. Lin Corker told the ECHO: "I used to swim at Derby Pool from around 1957 onwards, firstly with my mum and brother, then with my school friends. The water was always very cold! My mother thought it was a more upmarket pool than New Brighton where we also went.
"When I was with my parents, we used to sit near the fountain at the opposite end to the diving boards. We always used to make a day of it and take a picnic - egg sandwiches springs to mind and a flask of tea. We used to buy ice cream from the shop there.
"As a teenager, I used to go on the balcony at the other end which was a real sun trap. We used to take our books to revise for exams but never opened them! When we got too hot we used to go for a swim in the freezing water. I loved the Derby Pool."
Another former swimmer at Derby Pool said: "I swam there from around 1964 onwards - I would have been 4 then. I remember it being freezing and it taking ages to get down the steps and eventually brace to get in. The balconies used to get boiling underfoot when the sun was shining - so hot you had to run on tip toe or get your feet burnt!
"There was a slide into the water about half way down, on the side opposite the balconies. I think there were lockers where you could store things, and I also seem to remember a turnstile that let you out. I used to love going there. I used to mainly go with one of my sisters and we would take sandwiches and pop. We could easily walk there from our house in Lyndhurst Road. They were great days."
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