New Brighton consultation

One of the biggest questions about The People’s Pool is where it should be. There are so many possible sites around Merseyside where it could connect beautifully to our watery environment.

One location with a huge amount going for it is New Brighton, where (until 16 November 2020) Wirral Council were asking local people (and those keen to visit) to help shape its future development.

A few decades ago, this was home to one of the greatest lidos ever built. New Brighton Bathing Pool was stunningly designed in the classic Art Deco style of the 1930s. It was vast, with room for 2,000 bathers and 12,000 spectators, and every aspect of it was ambitious, every detail carefully chosen. It was a pleasure palace, a sporting arena, and a holiday destination for millions. Of all the lost Merseyside lidos, it’s the most vividly remembered, and we celebrate some of its many charms here.

Another great quality of New Brighton is its views and its connection to the water. From most of the long, wide, sweeping prom (which pops up regularly on our TVs in the Channel 4 ‘running logo’ ident), there’s an unbroken view of the open sea, bordered by the docks to the east and the Welsh hills to the west. 

And for the last few years New Brighton has been buzzing again, with great independents like the bookshop and cafés opposite the station on Atherton Street, and the pub, restaurant, shops, gallery and amazing street art along and around Victoria Road. Many artists and makers are based here, and there’s a great group of swimmers, now several hundred strong, who bravely swim all year round in the Marine Lake, where a new adventure sports facility is coming soon.

So we’re delighted to be working with Wirral Council to explore whether New Brighton could be the location for The People’s Pool.