The Wirral Peninsula used to be home to some of the largest and most visited open water baths and lidos in the world.
Outdoor pools began in Bath in the early 19th century and soon resorts across the country were building lavish, classically-inspired outdoor baths. At the height of popularity, there were more than 300 lidos and open-air pools in Britain - with some of the most desirable here on Merseyside.
But as trends changed due to the appeal of cheap package holidays which made Europe more accessible to ordinary working families, the popularity of the open water baths dwindled. The outdoor pools, which at one stage were viewed as objects of great civic pride, were viewed as a drain of council cash resources to maintain.
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Some pools suffered from lack of investment and when storms damaged New Brighton Baths in 1990, it was soon demolished. There have been attempted plans to revive the tradition, with suggestions that New Brighton could have a new lido as part of the Marine Point development. The mooted site eventually became Bubbles' World of Play, however.
Here is a look back at the Wirral's best-loved and much-missed lidos -
New Brighton Baths
New Brighton Baths was opened by Lord Leverhulme in 1934 and became the largest lido in Britain. It was so impressive there was once talk of holding the Olympic Games there.
In 1937, the pool celebrated its millionth visitor, Mary Drew. Over the years, it played host to wrestling competitions, midnight bathing, dances and the Miss New Brighton contest.
In 1984, ITV staged a spectacular outdoor concert at the pool. New Brighton Rock starred Nik Kershaw, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Spandau Ballet, the Weather Girls and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a four-day musical extravaganza.
By the 1980s, with the ferry link from Liverpool gone, attendances were down to 30,000 from their 1970s peak of 80,000. It was demolished after a storm in 1990 damaged its structure and council bosses said it was too expensive to repair.
Hoylake Baths
Hoylake's lido on the promenade opened in June 1913 and was refurbished in the late 1920s at a cost of £25,000, re-opening in 1931. In 1976 the council closed Hoylake Baths after the site suffered storm damage but it was reopened by Hoylake Pool Trust.
A run of bad weather and a lack of funding saw the baths closed down six years later, and they were demolished in 1984.
Derby Pool, Wallasey
Crowds flocked to the Derby Bathing Pool on Harrison Drive in Wallasey when it opened in 1932 at a cost of £50,000.
The ECHO reported at the time: "Wallasey’s £50,000 new bathing pool is certainly drawing the crowds and the shore is invaded on sunny Sundays by thousands who come by ferry, bus, tram and train. The popularity of the new pool is amazing – policemen are needed to control the queues."
Smaller than New Brighton Baths, it was hugely popular for decades but eventually closed in the 1980s because of declining visitor numbers and repeated storm damage. The site is now home to a Harvester pub and restaurant called the Derby Pool.
Parkgate Pool
Parkgate's outdoor pool was built by
Mostyn HouseSchool in 1923. It was constructed as a facility for the school, but it was also open to the paying public. It became a big attraction, but with the silting of the River Dee, the water supply it needed disappeared.
The cost of pumping the water into the pool increased as the water level fell and the baths closed in 1942. It reopened in 1947 due to popular demand, but the fees for piping and pumping the water was too much and it closed for good in 1950. The site is now a car park for Wirral Country Park.
New Ferry Outdoor Baths
No photos of this swimming pool exist in the ECHO archives, but its site by Shorefields is now a housing estate. It was hugely popular with local children in the summer months and was known for its high diving board.
Port Sunlight Open Air Swimming Pool
Port Sunlight village once had its own open air swimming pool next to where the garden centre now is. It was open to the public in the summer months and had dedicated sessions for employees from the Lever factory. The pool closed in the 1970s.
This photo from the summer of 1953 shows staff from Levers enjoying a dip.
Rivacre Baths
Rivacre Valley country park and nature reserve in Ellesmere Port was once the site of a massive outdoor swimming pool which attracted visitors from all over Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.
The baths opened in 1934 and were a huge hit but gradually fell into decline as visitor numbers dwindled. They closed in 1981 and were demolished in 1985.
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