Hilsea Lido has been cooling down the people of Portsmouth for almost 90 years. It first opened in 1935 as part of a larger leisure complex that offered gardens, a tennis court, roller-skating and dancing. At its deepest, the beloved freshwater pool once plunged 4.6 metres, making it the deepest lido in the whole of the UK.
Naturally, after nearly nine decades, in 2022, it was in need of a major spruce-up. And, thanks to £8.75m investment from the government’s Levelling Up programme, it was able to go close three years ago and go ahead with all the necessary work.
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The work has meant that Hilsea Lido can no longer claim to be the country’s deepest. As part of the renovation, the pool had to be weighed down to counteract the groundwater gradually pushing it upwards. It has been lined with 80 tonnes of steel and 30 lorry loads of concrete and will now measure 2.6 metres in depth (the same as an Olympic swimming pool).
The enormous makeover has also included an overhaul of the changing facilities and shower cubicles, the installation of a modern filtration system to replace the old pool equipment and new grass areas with sun umbrellas and sunbeds next to the pool.
The mural at the spectator stand to the north of the site has been removed, along with the stand itself after it was declared unsafe. The council has commissioned the same artist to create another mural once the lido is back in action.
Now, a tent has been put over the entire pool to allow contractors to add the final finishing touches to the tiling, the paint and the handrails.
Hilsea has been forced to shut for restoration before. It closed 2007 after refurb plans were abandoned by the council but was so beloved by locals that they formed a charity to take over its management. Thanks to Hilsea Lido Pool for the People, it reopened in 2014.
Originally, it was hoped that, this time round, the pool would reopen in time for the exact day of its 90th anniversary on July 24, but now Portsmouth city council says that it is set to reopen in ‘early autumn 2025’. Once it’s ready, the council says that it’ll appoint a new operator to run the lido and work with it on further restoration. Despite requests from the public, the new and improved Hilsea Lido won’t be heated, as its electrical supply plant can’t facilitate it.
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