Jesus Green Lido: Cambridge 'people's pool' turns 100

Jesus Green Lido successful Cambridge is celebrating turning 100 years aged - a twelvemonth for each gait of its length. The lido has a dedicated set of lifelong swimmers who person taken to the acold h2o present for decades. So what is its enduring appeal?

"You travel done that turnstile and it's similar a portal to a peculiar place," Dr Annie Morgan-Jones explains.

"Your problems are near extracurricular and radical invited you - the excavation welcomes you."

Jesus Green Lido lies parallel to the stream Cam by Jesus Green Lock and offers quiescent idyll successful the mediate of the city.

It began beingness connected 30 August 1923 arsenic the Jesus Green Bath, a 100-yard (91m) agelong excavation with 2 shallow ends and a heavy centre.

The excavation is the associated longest successful the UK with Tooting Bec lido successful London.

Dr Morgan-Jones is moving connected a past of the lido for its centenary year, drafting connected the experiences of the radical who usage it.

The excavation was carved out, she says, by labourers who had returned from World War One.

"For the archetypal 10 to 15 years it was filled with h2o from the river, successful fact, radical utilized to kick astir the fish," she adds.

"But outdoor swimming successful Cambridge goes close backmost to that play of clip erstwhile the rules were written.

"In the 16th Century, a young student astatine St John's College called Everard Digby wrote of 'the creation of swimming' [the 1587 book, De Arte Natandi] which provided readers with the means to swim, illustrating strokes to halt radical drowning.

"It was important due to the fact that a batch of undergraduates were up to precocious jinx, jumping successful the water."

Ruth Barnett, 75, of Cottenham, remembers learning to aquatics astatine Jesus Green Lido from the property of five.

"We went to schoolhouse connected Milton Road and mum would travel and conscionable america successful the summertime with our lunch, bring america present - we would aquatics - spell backmost to schoolhouse and past aft schoolhouse we did the aforesaid again," she says.

She remembers however the lido custodian some took the introduction wealth and worked arsenic the lifeguard, utilizing a instrumentality with a ringing connected successful it to thatch radical however to swim.

Ms Barnett inactive comes to the lido each time and usually manages 18 lengths - erstwhile the h2o is lukewarm enough.

"When you travel done the gates you are successful a antithetic world," she says.

"It's Narnia. It's wonderful."

"It's my life, I emotion it - I've got to bash it each day," says Victoria Bursa, 74.

"I person this large coating of a swimmer and erstwhile I aftermath up it's the archetypal happening I see.

"It's the feeling of state successful the water. I would urge it, but not to excessively galore radical - I privation it to myself," she adds.

Fellow regular Gregor Alvey precocious turned 70 and marked the day milestone with a swim.

"I've been coming present since 1973 - it's a spot of a haven," helium says.

"I'm a retired teacher and I'd travel down aft enactment for the past fractional hr of the day.

"Down present the bells don't ringing and determination was nary 1 to pat you connected the enarthrosis and inquire you for something. It was fractional an hr of intelligence freedom."

It is not conscionable the visitors who emotion the lido.

Lifeguard Finn Barnes, 24, from Cambridge, began occasional enactment astatine the lido portion studying astatine Swansea University.

He present manages the 20-strong poolside squad which has 4 lifeguards connected work astatine immoderate 1 time.

"I emotion the ambiance - it's precise chilled retired - you're extracurricular each the time," helium says.

The lido besides hosts its ain troupe of synchronised swimmers - the Centenary Cygnets.

Founder Danya Harris, 36, says she named the squad aft the babe swans connected the Cam.

"After Covid determination was a request for being extracurricular and being astir different people," she says. "I came present each time and became hooked connected the full acold h2o thing.

"There was a camaraderie."

Alexandra Crowhurst, 70, helped found the archetypal informal Friends of Jesus Green Lido successful the 1980s. It was a time, she says, erstwhile enactment for acold h2o swimming was dwindling and lidos were closing.

"I'm addicted to swimming successful acold h2o - I've ever liked swimming successful rivers and the sea," she says.

"There was a publication called Waterlog by Roger Deakin that made radical realise they weren't unsocial successful their emotion for swimming successful rivers - it sparked a gyration and resurgence successful acold h2o swimming.

"Here, it's the magnitude of the pool, the surroundings, the beauteous assemblage of radical - it's a spot wherever radical marque friends."

Nicky Blanning, who chairs the 300 subordinate Friends group, says: "It has a assemblage tone with a fantastic atmosphere.

"Our purpose is to talk up for different users and beryllium the liaison betwixt Better [which operates the lido] and the metropolis assembly who ain it - and to guarantee its longevity," she says.

Ms Blanning says there's "something truthful fantastic and invigorating" astir swimming outside.

Those who clasp the lido adjacent to their hearts are present looking guardant to its adjacent 100 years.

"This excavation was built a decennary earlier lidos became fashionable and it makes Jesus Green Bath up of its time," Dr Morgan-Jones says.

"The 1920s was a clip of large change, truthful the thought of this excavation successful a spot similar Cambridge that had a divided assemblage of municipality and gown was key.

"It has remained a precise peculiar spot successful Cambridge.

"It's the people's pool."

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