Historic lido gets restoration cash boost

Cleveland Pools Trust believes the pools could be the oldest of their type in Western Europe

A bid to restore the country's only surviving Georgian lido has has been backed with a lottery grant.

The group behind Cleveland Pools, near Bath, has secured £360,000 towards reopening the 200-year-old site.

Its facilities include two bathing pools, a private ladies pool and original changing rooms.

The community group behind the restoration said the pools opened in 1815 following the prohibition of nude bathing in the adjacent River Avon.

The pools were open to the public until 1978

The stage one Heritage Lottery funding will allow the group to bid for further funding of over £4m.

Ann Dunlop, chairman of the Cleveland Pools Trust, said its members and supporters would be "over the moon" at the news.

The Heritage Lottery Fund grant will cover 85% of the total costs with the trust needing to raise the remaining money.

According to the trust, Cleveland Pools could be the oldest swimming baths of its type in Western Europe.

The doors were closed to the public in 1978 and the site shut down completely six years later.

Correction 19 December 2019: A previous version of this story wrongly stated that funding of £4.1m had already been granted by the Heritage Lottery Fund.