The long-lost 'super swimming stadium'

Morecambe Super Swimming Stadium was said to have been the largest outdoor pool in Europe when it opened in 1936

The remains of a 1930s seaside lido, said to have been the largest outdoor pool in Europe at the time of its construction, are to be excavated ahead of the start of work on the Eden Project Morecambe.

The Morecambe Super Swimming Stadium was opened by the director of the Bank of England, Sir Josiah Stamp, on 27 July 1936, and included a championship swimming pool, an artificial beach and two grandstands.

It closed in 1975, after falling into disrepair, and was demolished the following year.

Oli Marshall, from architecture charity Twentieth Century Society, said the stadium was "almost in a different league to other surviving lidos we have - in terms of scale and ambition".

Built on the site of TW Ward Ltd's shipbreaking yard, the Morecambe Super Swimming Stadium also included a water polo area, diving stage, three-deck promenade, sun terrace and cafe.

At its peak, it hosted around 27,000 swimmers over two days.

After World War Two, it became a venue for national and international swimming and aquatic events, as well as the Miss Great Britain and Miss World beauty contests.

Famous visitors included comedy double act Laurel and Hardy and Wigan-born entertainer George Formby - who judged beauty contests there - said Anne Green Jessel, who runs the Lost Lidos website.

She described the former stadium as "spectacular", adding it must have been "an enlightening place for many", coming, as it did, in the aftermath of the dark days of World War One.

An aqua display team performing for spectators at the stadium in its heyday

Oli Marshall said Morecambe's lost lido "was more of a stadium than an outdoor pool, accommodating some 1,200 bathers and 3000 spectators".

A Lancaster City Museum spokesperson described the stadium's construction as a grand gesture, with the Morecambe Corporation eager to outdo local rival Blackpool's huge neo-classical South Shore Swimming Coliseum of 1923 - which was also later demolished.

Designed by prominent architects Kenneth MB Cross and Cecil Sutton, following a competition, the stadium was intended "to harmonise with the adjacent Midland Hotel".

At the opening in 1936 - days before the Berlin Olympics - Stamp said: "Bathing reduces rich and poor, high and low, to a common standard of enjoyment and health", adding "when we get down to swimming, we get down to democracy".

A large silver model of the building, created to celebrate its opening, is on display at Lancaster Maritime Museum.

Synchronised swimming was a popular form of entertainment when the stadium was at the height of its popularity

Remnants of the stadium are set to be uncovered during ground investigation work for the Eden Project Morecamber taking place over the coming weeks. ahead of the start of construction.

The Eden Project Morecambe will to be built on the resort's central promenade, next to the Grade II-listed Winter Gardens and Midland Hotel.

A project spokesperson said work would also uncover the remains of a 1930s sea wall and the Bubbles Leisure Complex.

The shell-inspired structure, a sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, is is expected to attract thousands of people to the Lancashire town.

It is due to open in late 2028.

A computer-generated image shows the lattice-framed dome of Morecambe's Eden project, which designers hope will be a striking feature on the resort's shorefront