Most of my blogs have been quite social media
and tech-heavy, so this week I thought I’d get out and about and take a look at
what’s going on in the city. It’s a seeing and doing week. As a protest against
the British summer's ending I've been checking out London's lidos. In the 1930s
the government invested a huge amount in public pools. By the late 80s they'd
crumbled into disrepair along with Duran Duran and the prawn cocktail. But many
have been refurbed, revamped and crucially not too much so.

[Sundown: the evening session at Parliament Hill Lido]

Architecturally they're fascinating. Austere,
hard-lined and perfectly symmetrical, they're like something out of an Agatha Christie novel.
Definitely Art Deco and slightly Stalinist, there is something military in
their appearance. But it's a refreshing break from the brash, airtex-clad gym
staff at your local fitness centre. It's concrete efficient.

[boxy: the entrance to Parliament Hill Lido]

Why pay an extortionate amount at a gym for a
muggy chlorine bath, when for £2.50 you can swim al fresco? Even better, after
6.45pm at Parliament Hill Lido, it's adults only. No screeching tots or six year
olds in verruca socks.

Public baths originated with a need to keep
clean, but soon became much more than this, even in 19BC. They were social
places. Places where you would meet friends. They could also be quite
luxurious. Ancient baths included saunas, massages and relaxation therapies.
They were like the modern luxe resort. The imperial Baths of Diocletian (AD 300)
were lavish. The site covered a modest 1.5 million square feet, and was a
shrine to granite and porphyry. Up to 3,000 visitors a day dipped into its
waters. There were hot rooms, cold rooms and even libraries. 

[model of the Baths of Diocletian]

Today’s lidos are a bit "out of town"
and only seem to exist at various points on the London Overground, but it's
worth the haul ass for their chic, understated simplicity. I’m surprised they
haven’t been more heavily branded and advertised. If you think of how much gyms
invest on twitter pages, uniforms, interior design and advertising, there’s
nothing to promote the lidos. They exist as a subsection of the county council
website, strangely understated. The pool itself is modern but the rest feels
untouched. 

[the deep end]

Aside from Parliament Hill (Gospel Oak) we have:

*Tooting Bec Lido, Streatham

*Brockwell Lido, Herne Hill

*London Fields Lido, Hackney

*Charlton Lido, Greenwich

The Romans did it; you should too.

(Thoughts from Planning newbie Alexa)