Taking a dip in balmy waters before tucking into a Mediterranean feast are activities not normally associated with the commuter town of Reading, but the new Thames Lido brings eating and exercise together in a refreshing and unexpected way.
Consisting of a 100-cover restaurant headed by celebrated Bristol chef Freddy Bird, a 25m outdoor heated pool, two saunas and treatment rooms, it’s the brainchild of Bird, Swedish developer Arne Ringner and architects Marshall and Kendon, who together revitalised the similarly derelict Clifton Lido in Bristol in 2008.
‘When we arrived on site in 2013, we found a pool filled with duck weed, rotten timber beams and brickwork covered with buddleia,’ explains Sam Kendon. ‘The lido had been abandoned for 40 years, and we spent most of out time restoring original features such as the decorative wooden bargeboards, tiles, floors and ironwork.’
Built as a Ladies Swimming Pool in 1902, the lido is entirely sheltered from public view, but small windows allow glimpses of boats and cyclists as they trundle along the Thames towpath nearby and tall trees on all sides provide backstroke swimmers with a delightful canvas of green. Ringner and his team stepped in as the Grade II listed building – one of oldest open-air municipal pools of its era – was on course to becoming a hotel.
A Spartan setting this is not. Swimmers and spa goers in blue robes tuck into wine, hearty rumps of beef, pork collars and ox cheek, all cooked in Bird’s charcoal grill and wood fired ovens; early morning swimmers can have hearty cooked breakfasts and coffee, and for the few who are there purely for the fitness rather than feasting, fresh juices and salads are served all day.
The creative trio that make up the ‘Lido Team’ may have no real passion for swimming, but they are always on the hunt for unloved British lidos in need of repair; ‘They are becoming harder to find,’ says Kendon, ‘from Penzance to Tooting to Brighton, these days lidos are rather high profile.’
The team behind its redesign consists of chef Freddy Bird, Swedish developer Arne Ringner and architects Marshall and Kendon.
The lido includes a 25-metre outdoor heated pool.
Originally built as a Ladies Swimming Pool, the lido is entirely sheltered from public view.
Now it includes a 100-cover restaurant headed by celebrated Bristol chef Freddy Bird.
The architects worked on restoring original features such as the decorative wooden bargeboards, tiles, floors and ironwork.
The restaurant offers breakfast, coffee, salads and juices, as well as more hearty meals, for hungry swimmers.
INFORMATION
For more information visit the Thames Lido website and the Marshall and Kendon website
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
We stepped inside the Stedelijk Museum's newest addition in AmsterdamAmsterdam's Stedelijk Museum has unveiled its latest addition, the brand-new Don Quixote Sculpture Hall by Paul Cournet of Rotterdam creative agency Cloud
-
On a sloped Los Angeles site, a cascade of green 'boxes' offers inside outside livingUnStack, a house by FreelandBuck, is a cascading series of bright green volumes, with mountain views
-
Explore a barn conversion with a difference on the Isle of WightGianni Botsford Architects' barn conversion transforms two old farm buildings into an atmospheric residence and artistic retreat, The Old Byre
-
Capability House blends contemporary architecture and historical landscape in rural EnglandCapability House is a modern retreat by Dedraft set in the historical landscape of green, Capability Brown-designed grounds in rural England's Aynhoe Park Estate
-
A Peckham house design unlocks a spatial puzzle in south LondonAudacious details, subtle colours and a product designer for a client make this Peckham house conversion a unique spatial experience
-
Squire & Partners' radical restructure: 'There are a lot of different ways up the firm to partnership'Squire & Partners announces a radical restructure; we talk to the late founder Michael Squire's son, senior partner Henry Squire, about the practice's new senior leadership group, its next steps and how architecture can move on from 'single leader culture'
-
Meet the 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner: Livyj Bereh from UkraineThe 2024 Royal Academy Dorfman Prize winner has been crowned: congratulations to architecture collective Livyj Bereh from Ukraine, praised for its rebuilding efforts during the ongoing war in the country
-
RIBA House of the Year 2024: browse the shortlist and pick your favouriteThe RIBA House of the Year 2024 shortlist is out, celebrating homes across the UK: it's time to place your bets. Which will win the top gong?
-
The new Canada Water boardwalk is an experience designed to ‘unfold slowly’A new Canada Water bridge by Asif Khan acts as a feature boardwalk for the London area's town centre, currently under development, embracing nature and wildlife along the way
-
The Museum of Shakespeare set to open in east LondonThe Museum of Shakespeare puts the remains of the ancient Curtain Playhouse at the centre of 'The Stage', a new urban development in the heart of Shoreditch
