Lido (swimming pool)

In British English , a lido ( / ? l iː d o? / LEE -doh , / ? l a? d o? / LY -doh ) ^[1] is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun , or participate in water sports. On a cruise ship or ocean liner , the lido deck features outdoor pools and related facilities.

The term probably made its way into English via "Lansbury's Lido", a nickname used in the British press for London's Serpentine bathing place. ^[2] The bathing place was revamped in 1930 as a project of the Labour First Commissioner for Works, George Lansbury , a plaque to whom appears on the Serpentine pavilion to this day. The re-opening garnered significant press attention as a result of Lansbury's introduction of "mixed" bathing. ^[3] Lido , an Italian word for "beach", forms part of the place names of several Italian seaside towns known for their beaches, such as Lido di Venezia , the barrier beach enclosing the Venetian Lagoon . Like the Lido di Venezia, the Serpentine "Lido" includes an extended area of shoreline. ^[4] The nickname "Lansbury's Lido" was probably also ironic, given the contrast between the glamour of Venice and the relative squalor of interwar London ? not to mention the latter's variable weather.

References [ edit ]

Notes

^ See entry for lido in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary . 6th ed. (2007). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1593.
^ "Gay Revels in Hyde Park" . Western Gazette . 20 June 1930. p. 13 . Retrieved 25 September 2023 .
^ Fryer, Peter (1964). Mrs Grundy: Studies in English Prudery . New York: London House & Maxwell. p. 201.
^ In German speaking countries, a Freibad is a public outdoor bath with usually several swimming pools for a larger crowd ( frei , free, refers to the outdoor aspect). This is a common institution even in smaller cities. The Dutch equivalent is openluchtbad/openluchtzwembad (open air bath) or buitenbad (outdoor bath). Smith, Janet (2006). Liquid assets: the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain . English Heritage. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-9547445-0-2 .

Sources

Smith, Janet (2006). Liquid assets: the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain . English Heritage. ISBN 0-9547445-0-0 .

External links [ edit ]

Lidos in the UK Archived

[1] See entry for lido in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary . 6th ed. (2007). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 1593.

[2] "Gay Revels in Hyde Park" . Western Gazette . 20 June 1930. p. 13 . Retrieved 25 September 2023 .

[3] Fryer, Peter (1964). Mrs Grundy: Studies in English Prudery . New York: London House & Maxwell. p. 201.

[4] In German speaking countries, a Freibad is a public outdoor bath with usually several swimming pools for a larger crowd ( frei , free, refers to the outdoor aspect). This is a common institution even in smaller cities. The Dutch equivalent is openluchtbad/openluchtzwembad (open air bath) or buitenbad (outdoor bath). Smith, Janet (2006). Liquid assets: the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain . English Heritage. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-9547445-0-2 .

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