Minehead Lido
Minehead Lido (1955) sadly now demolished and replaced by housing.
Pals on the top terrace at Minehead Lido 1952?
Ron , Julien, Mike, Pam, Paddy & Lorna
Note: In Minehead harbour in the background you may be able to sea the sailing boat Emma Louise.
More info on the lido at :http://www.soyouwantto.co.uk/minehead-bathing-pool.html
Minehead
Remembered
(Written in memory of happy Minehead & Lido days.)
Have you heard the grinding of the
stones upon the beach ?
Have you seen and heard the paddle
steamers beat ?
Have you sat upon the fountain and
heard the springboard bounce ?
Seen the sparkling of the water
reflecting in the heat ?
Have you heard the sound of baskets
sliding out the racks ?
Heard the sound of shouting children
running out the back ?
Tasted chlorine salted water, tasted
sweet refreshing rain ?
Dived 15 deep blue feet and swam back
up again ?
Can you remember Kingsley Taylor,
Sammy Jay and Locks bazaar ?
Wondered at the hills in Doreans Cafe
and at the old taxi
car?
Have you smelt the coke coal cooking
walking out the dump ?
Caught a fish in deep dark claypits
and felt clay between your toes ?
Have you explored the brick yards
heaps and sat on sunny Island ?
Can you feel your woollen costume,
can you feel the beach hut boards?
Can you taste the FORTES ice cream,
feel the cold hard whicker chair?
Have you stood upon the "stage" only
to stand and stare?
They have never known the things we
shared in those days of long ago
They have never swam the "55" or
jumped off "top"
They have taken it away and buried it
down deep
Theirs is the profit motive and of course it counts a
lot
But we are the ones with golden
dreams for when we sleep.
Ron Blundell
Notes on poem Minehead Remembered..
To the west of Minehead harbour is a curved beach consisting entirely of rounded stones. When there is a high tide and a strong swell the receding waves drag these stones back and then throw them forward causing a characteristic grinding noise. Above this beach is the RNLI life boat station and the now landscapped piece of ground which was the site of the towns gas works. All that remains is a wall which was where the coal was heated and the ovens are now used as boat mans lockups.
The dump was the towns land fill rubbish dump under what is now the green area of Quay West. To see & hear the rats “singing” outside their homes in the rubbish on a summer evening was one of lifes experiences.
During the 50`s I remember the White Funnel paddle steamers regularly visiting Minehead at high tide from W-S-M, Cardiff and Penarth. The paddle steamers were “Glen Usk” & “Cardiff Queen”
“Have you sat upon the fountain and heard the string
boards bounce”
“Dived fifteen deep blue
feet”
“Have you heard the sound of baskets sliding in the
racks”
“Heard the sound of shouting children running out the
back”
“Have you stood upon the stage only to stand and
stare”
“They have never swam the 55 or jumped of top"
The LIDO swimming pool was situated to the East of the current amusement arcades and the only remaining reminder was a single lamp standard marking the LHS of the entrance (now removed for house building Jan 2003) . This sea water swimming pool had a central concrete tower forming a 5 & 10 meter diving platform, the lower one was called the stage & the higher one top. The pool was 55 yards long and 25 yards wide, 3ft deep at each end running down to the centre where the depth was 15 ft . On each side of the central tower were spring boards at 1 and 3 meter heights. Between the four legs of the diving stage was a small fountain adjacent to the 15ft deep diving area. As Kids we would sit on this fountain.
The changing rooms in 1949 were in corrugated iron changing rooms in a fenced area to the south of the pool known as “out the back”. In the early fifties these changing rooms were moved to their final position adjacent to the front entrance below the spectators terrace. Clothes were put into wire numbered baskets and stored in numerical order. It was not uncommon for boys who had forgotten their baskets numberat the end of the day to be seen stood shivering and crying at the counter waiting to be invited in by the attendant to find their clothes . To round off the day there was a Brylcream machine where for the price of one old penny a squirt of the white cream would restore the quiff in the hair. Out the back was used as a sunbathing area where no one was immune from a girls bathing hat of ice cold water being dropped onto the warming reclining body from the balcony above.
“Can you
remember Kingsley Taylor, Sammy Jay and Locks
Bazaar”
Kingsley Taylor was a well know local photographer who also had a shop selling artists materials, most local kids seem to have been one of his subjects at some time or other and can be seen posed on a carved wooden chest.
Sammy Jay was in the 40's & 50's manager of the Regal cinema.
Locks Bazaar to the left of the Regal sold “everything”, fireworks, toys, coconut mats, tin baths-you name it.
At Alcombe in an area which is now Marley Close was a ruined brick factory which was a dangerous but attractive play ground.
Sunny Island was an area of open grass in the woods which run parallel to Quarry close – good for pick-nicks.
Most boys had hand knitted swimming costumes held up by white knicker elastic. When wet, this costume felt like 2lb of wet seaweed.
Before Butlins camp was built there was line of wooden beach huts running from approx. the round- about to the Golf club along the line of the sea wall. The beach hut at the western end was large and white a had a south facing open covered area which was convenient for changing for a swim in the sea!!!!
This line of beach huts were on a shingle and sand ridge with small areas of sand dunes on the seaward side. A narrow road followed the line of the wider existing road and led to the golf club. Inland fields ran right up to the end of Marshfield Road. In the centre of what is now Butlins was a small wartime pillbox and the sea path from the level crossing ran in a dog leg to to meet the road about half way along the existing Butlins frontage.
RonB