Swimming in urban decay: Eerie images of Britain's forgotten pools left derelict after the Victorian golden age of public bathing
- Italian-born photographer Gigi Cifali, 37, captured the decline of Britain's public swimming from the shallow end
- He decided to take the photos from inside the swimming pools to tell the story from the swimmers' point of view
- Ten public pools have been shut completely and another 24 shut and reopened since 2010 in London alone
By DAN BLOOM
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Strewn with algae, dirt and graffiti, they are a sad echo of a very British golden age.
Some of the country's grandest swimming baths lie abandoned and derelict, as documented in stunning new photographs by Italian-born photographer Gigi Cifali.
The 37-year-old was captivated by the urban decay of Britain's pools, which took off during a boom for public swimming in the late Victorian era.
Many stayed open for more than 70 years, but have been forced to shut by dwindling numbers, council cuts or high-spec gyms.
Nature has begun to take over at Manchester's Harpbury Baths, which opened in 1910 and closed in 2001. These incredible images by Gigi Cifali, 37, show the decline of Britain's swimming baths and lidos, which once numbered into the hundreds. Public baths saw a surge in popularity from the Victorian era but many have since closed
Hornsey Road Baths in Holloway, London, which opened in 1932 and closed in 1988. The pool is pictured in a dire state, with filthy water in the deep end. The photographer said: 'I fell in love with these decaying, dry buildings. I thought I could stand with my camera inside the pools and tell the story from the swimmers' point of view'
At a monstrous 73 yards long, Uxbridge Lido, London, opened in 1935 and included a unique 12-sided star shape in its centre. The pool shut in 1998, and for years was left strewn with dead leaves and graffiti. It has since reopened with many of the Grade II listed features restored and was used as a training pool for the 2012 Olympics
Mr Cifali stood in the shallow end of former pools and lidos in London, Solihull, Manchester and Birmingham for a series called Absence of Water.
Some had been closed only a few years before he began his project. The Tudor Grange Pool in Solihull was drained and demolished in 2007 to make way for a new leisure centre.
Others had been closed for more than 20 years when Mr Cifali launched his project, including Hornsey Baths in London, which shut its doors in 1988.
He said: 'I fell in love with these decaying, dry buildings. I found some great examples of forgotten baths and pools.
'I thought I could stand with my camera inside the pools and tell the story from the swimmers’ point of view.
'Standing inside the pools, I realized how these places represent an authentic testimonial to bygone times.
'They were in vogue places, and fundamental to life years ago.'
Lidos - which draw their name from the Italian word for beach - exploded in popularity in Britain from the end of the 1800s.
The craze reached its peak in the 1930s, when councils across the country built more than 150 of the outdoor pools. On summer days, revellers in traditional full-body bathing suits and caps would jostle for space on stone and concrete promenades.
There was a surge too in indoor pools, which gave more serious-minded swimmers space to practice. With high arched ceilings and hundreds of seats for spectators, they continued to be built beyond the Second World War.
The spectacular marble-lined Soho Marshall Pool in London opened in 1931, in a congested area of the capital not accustomed to wide open space. It shut in 1997 for redevelopment and has since reopened as the centrepiece of the Marshall Street Leisure Centre, with many Grade II listed original features retained
It is more than 20 years since the closure of Eltham Park Lido in south east London, and it is showing its age. Opened in 1924, it was once a haven for outdoor swimmers. The decline of public swimming means 10 pools in London have closed since 2010, though another 24 have re-opened, according to figures from Sport England
Birmingham's Mosley Road Baths opened in 1907 and closed almost a century later, in 2004. Since then the ornate Edwardian building has been at the centre of a fierce battle between history-lovers and Birmingham City Council, which initially said it could not afford the repairs. Earlier this year former Liberal Democrat councillor Martin Mullaney vowed to chain himself to the building in protest. It now appears the pool may have won a reprieve, with locals still bidding for Lottery funding
Oldham's Chadderton Baths, which opened in 1937 and closed in 2006, are popular with historians and local photographers if not swimmers. The once gleaming white pool and arched ceiling now show signs of age, though the striking black-and-white image of a diver on the rear tiles still looks as clear as the day it was made
As Britain advanced through the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the pools' popularity waned.
Ten swimming pools have closed down in London since 2010 alone, while 24 have opened, according to figures from Sport England.
Mr Cifali, who moved to London from Italy in 2002, said: 'Gradually, living conditions and tastes changed, resulting in a drop in attendance, leaving the public pools uneconomical to run.
'Many fell into decay and many were demolished. They were symbols of civic and architectural pride in Victorian times. Today only a handful of them remain.
'The series allows us to reflect on water and its importance it has for the development of human society.'
Forest Hill Baths in London were open for almost a century since 1907. The Edwardian pool closed for health and safety reasons in 2006 when problems with the roof were identified, and has since been demolished. Like many old pools, it has been replaced with a state-of-the-art new leisure centre, which opened last year
Solihull's Tudor Grange Pool opened in 1965 and closed in 2008. Though newer than some pools, it too was demolished and replaced with a new sports centre
Bathers at the Egerton Lido in Bexhill, East Sussex, pictured left in June 1939; right, bathers shiver before jumping into the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park
Outdoor swimming was not confined to the big cities. Here hundreds of swimmers jostle for space at the bathing beach lido in Plymouth, Devon, in 1935
London's Serpentine Lido in June 1955 on the day it recorded the highest visitor numbers in its history. Sadly, public pools have since declined
