Lido closed for 30 years to open for special tours

A 100-year-old outdoor swimming pool is holding an open day to allow visitors to see behind the scenes of the building, which has been closed since 1993.

Friends of Otley Lido will open the building on Saturday for a heritage open day, allowing visitors to take guided and self-guided tours.

The group has been raising funds with the long-term plan of reopening the lido to bathers.

Leonie Sharp, from the group, said she hoped the open day would encourage residents to engage with them about their proposals for the site.

“The lido provided generations of Otley residents and visitors with happy memories of summer visits to swim and play in the unheated pool,” she said.

Ms Sharp said they had collated memories and photographs throughout the years and were looking forward to sharing them with residents.

Otley Baths opened in Wharfemeadows Park in 1924.

Following its heyday in the 1960s, its popularity waned in the 1980s in line with national trends, before closing in 1993 due to the need for repairs.

A revival in the popularity of outdoor swimming led to the formation of the Friends of Otley Lido in 2015.

Following a crowdfunding campaign, the group commissioned a sport and leisure consultant and architect to develop viable proposals for regenerating the site.

Ms Sharp said the group’s “commitment and determination was steadfast as ever to restore the Otley Lido back for our community”.

Heritage Open Days take place every September across England.

Other Otley venues taking part include Westbourne House and Masonic Lodge, and Otley Bridge Church.

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