earners while the instincts for play are still strong and require direction”.48 London today has been built up on layers of history, physically moulding today’s urban fabric, with past London buried under tarmac, much like the social history of bathing, which was a core social activity for hundreds of years creating its own architectural landscape much different from today’s. Abandoned or unused bathhouses have been lost and changed into modern swimming pools, private housing and flats. Throughout the early 1900’s in the UK, more efforts were put into place to persuade the public that swimming and washing by using the public baths was not just beneficial for health, but for the young also. Again, Agnes Campbell was a driving force throughout, questioning local communities on the use of baths and pools, summing up that: “At the present time prejudice, the fear of infection, and poverty are all stumbling blocks to the extension of the Public Baths./ Boys and Girls should be actors rather than spectators, and the wisest policy on their behalf is not to provide entertainment, but to give such training and opportunity as will enable them to entertain themselves.”49 The following examples, demonstrate to what extent the culture and architecture of these historic bathhouses have lived on.
Enfield Lido
Lido’s were the bathhouse of the day. After WWI, much of London was bomb damaged and people had lost a lot of the community based buildings that served as fun and recreation. The London councils of the time started to re-build community leisure by introducing the Lido to local boroughs. These constructions were cheap and easy to build, and provided people with somewhere to swim, meet with friends and relax on the sun terrace. Edmonton even had a loudspeaker for events and announcements and was the first to be called a ‘Lido’ in England.
Fig 9. Above: A photo taken of the Enfield Lido (and one of the only photos I could find of this Lido) taken in 1955 after the refurbishment of the 30’s, at the height of its popularity within the local community.
48 Agnes Campbell (B.A.), Report on Public Baths and Wash-Houses in the United Kingdom, The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (Edinburgh 1918) ARCHIVE, pg 88. 49 Agnes Campbell (B.A.), Report on Public Baths and Wash-Houses in the United Kingdom, The Carnegie United Kingdom Trust (Edinburgh 1918) ARCHIVE, pp 63 - 88.
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