A small step in the right direction

A bid by Thanet council to the Coastal Revival Fund has resulted in a £44,000 award which will be used to carry out an options study at the lidos, Grade II listed site with a view to undertaking a GPS site survey and clearance work.

Lots of work has been going on behind the scenes and I’m always deeply honoured to be involved.

The state of the lido has always deeply upset me the lack of care the greed behind camouflaged schemes that come and go from stopping people falling through the roof to actually stopping the roof blowing away with my neighbours it’s always been a daily job caring for a building that no one seems to care about. I took the shop next to the lido in the hope that it would become an omnipresent beacon in its own right…. I imagined people would look at the lido then look at the shop and form the ideas themselves ‘coastal spa’ ‘coastal school’ etc but always thought of it as a #palaceforthepeople a place everyone could access to learn about the health giving benefits of the sea.

This is a great achievement for all and during these political times a reminder that nothing is possible alone but as a united team anything is. It’s been 2 years since I’ve been in the lower quarters of the building It will be fantastic to start promoting its true potential / Dom

‘The Clifton Baths could be reopened to the public for the first time in 40 years following a government grant. The baths were constructed between 1824-28 by John Boys at a cost of £15,000. It was excavated from the chalk cliff northeast of the harbour.

A large dome provided storage for 20 to 30 bathing machines which were brought down a curving tunnel to sea level when required. A tunnel also led to the Lower Reservoir used as a plunge bath for women and children. A horse pump forced sea water from the Lower Reservoir to the Upper Reservoir where it supplied the water for the hot baths, the power supplied by a horse gin in the open air.

There was also a bathing room divided into two wings, the north for gentlemen and the south for ladies and an Upper Terrace with round-headed alcoves, seats and benches for enjoying the sea views.

In later years an indoor salt water swimming pool ,a cinema and a theatre or concert hall were created until, from 1926, the site was remodelled under John Henry Iles, owner of Dreamland Amusement Park.’ -Text from