Broomhill Pool

Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed outdoor swimming pool in Ipswich, East Anglia. It stands in Broomhill Park, a green space east of the town centre. The lido opened in 1938 and was designed by the Borough Engineer E. McLauchlan. At 55 yards long and 15 feet deep, it was once the deepest public lido in Britain. The pool held 2.1 million litres of water and had eight lanes for racing. Nearby is Broomhill Library, built in 1942 as a wartime decontamination unit. The pool closed in 2002 but is now being restored to full public use. The Broomhill Pool Trust, a registered charity, leads the project. In 2017, Heritage Lottery Funding awarded £3.4 million, with Fusion Lifestyle adding over £2 million. Ipswich Borough Council later pledged £1.5 million, bringing the total to £7.25 million. Work began in 2020, with completion expected in 2026. Visitors to the site find a large rectangular pool set in landscaped parkland. The lido’s art deco styling remains visible despite decades of disuse. The restored building will once again offer swimming lanes and diving areas. Broomhill Library, with its matching façade, stands close by as a reminder of the area’s mid-century history. The park itself provides wide lawns and mature trees around the pool.