Description

A celebration of outdoor swimming – looking at the history, design and social aspect of pools.

Few experiences can beat diving into a pool in the fresh air, swimming with blue skies above you. Whether it’s a dip into a busy and bustling city pool on a sweltering summer day, or taking the plunge in icy waters, the lido provides a place of peace in a frenetic world.

The book begins with a history of outdoor pools – their grand beginnings after the buttoned-up Victorian era, their falling popularity in the 20th century, and the newfound appreciation for the outdoor pool, or lido, and outdoor swimming in the 21st century.

Journalist and architectural historian Christopher Beanland picks the very best of the outdoor pools around the world, including the Icebergs Pool on Bondi Beach, Australia; the 137m seawater pool in Vancouver, Canada; Siza’s concrete sea pools in Porto, Portugal; the restored art deco pool in Saltdean, UK, and the pool at the Zollverein Coal Mines in Essen, Germany. The book also features lost lidos and the fascinating history behind the architecture of the pools, along with essays on swimming pools in art, and the importance of pools in Australia. In addition there are interviews with pool users around the globe about why they swim. The book is illustrated throughout with beautiful colour photography, as well as archive photography and advertising.

Publisher Review

'Partly a gazetteer of new and classic outdoor pools around the world, partly a reflection of how they inspire us. ... The photographs are fabulous.' -- Catherine Croft * C20 Magazine * Chris beautifully encompasses the architectural wonders of lidos around the world while zooming in on the social significance and personal affection towards them - a great book that both inspires and gives insight. -- Tamsin Wressell, National Geographic Traveller UK Architecture critic and water baby Christopher Beanland takes a deep dive into the fashionable outdoor swimming scene with Lido, profiling the world's best pools with his trademark wit, wisdom and pop culture references. Stylish photography and interviews with fellow lido enthusiasts only further add gloss to Beanland's delightful new book. -- Steve Pill, Discover Britain 'Swimming stories ... alongside enticing photos of outdoor pools around the world' * Literary Review * '[An] invigorating tour of outdoor swimming sites' * Architecture Today * 'Certainly a great book to plunge into' * Mail Online *