Troedyrhiw Lido
The rise and fall of a mountainside swimming pool.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Industrial Revolution was the idea of the ‘civic society’. This concept promoted the belief that individuals with the means and ability had the duty to try to improve the lives of those worse off than themselves.
Belief in the civic society saw large-scale movements such as the Temperance Movement, which discouraged alcohol consumption, sweeping the country while wealthy philanthropists like Titus Salt and the Cadbury family construct model villages to house their workers. The civic society also inspired a number of smaller projects. One such example is the Troedyrhiw Lido.
The 1930s was a difficult time for many in the South Wales valleys with miners and their families having to endure long periods of unemployment. In 1934, Eleanor Murray-Threipland, second wife of archaeologist and landowner Patrick Wyndham Murray-Threipland persuaded her husband that they should do something.
As part of the Wyndham estate Patrick Murray-Threipland owned parcels of land in the South Wales valleys, particularly in and around the village of Troedyrhiw in the Merthyr Valley. So it was only natural that it was here that they should focus their efforts.
The couple arrived in the village in April 1934, hoping to fund the building of a club and reading room for the unemployed. However, this was turned down for political reasons. Instead, the villagers suggested that the funds could be used to construct a swimming pool. Murray-Threipland agreed and the Troedyrhiw Bathing Pool Committee was formed.
With Mr Murray-Threipland providing the building materials, the unemployed miners quickly got to work. Mr Evan Morgan was appointed to oversee the committee and works. The first task was identifying a suitable location.
The Old Reservoir, a popular beauty spot with a natural pool, sat on the mountain above the village. It was decided that this would be the ideal location for the lido.
Men were organised and work quickly began. Taking advantage of a natural spring that fed the Old Reservoir the miners constructed a series of dams from rock and turf. These redirected the stream into a concrete-lined swimming pool. The land around the pool was terraced, providing a seating area for spectators and sunbathers.
Free to use and open to all, Troedyrhiw lido opened on the 25th of August 1934.
An instant success, as part of the opening celebrations a children's diving competition was held. Eleven year old Ernie Simms managed to retrieve more objects than his fellow competitors and was rewarded with a silver cup.
At the end of 1934, Mr Murray-Threipland presented the deeds of the land to the Troedyrhiw Bathing Pool Committee. He also offered to fund a second pool or any other undertaking that the committee thought would benefit the village. As a result, a pavilion containing male and female changing rooms was constructed. This was opened on the 2nd of July, 1935 by Mr Murray-Threiplands mother, Lady Howard Stepney.
The Troedyrhiw Bathing Pool Committee remained active and in 1937, again with the support of Mr Murray-Threipland, they acquired the Old Heath Arms building in the village. Following refurbishment it re-opened on the 18th of November 1937 as the Troedyrhiw Free Bathing Pool Institute. It was used primarily by the elderly residents of the village. Later the building was transformed once again into a scout hut.
The Troedyrhiw Bathing Pool Committee continued to try to improve life in the village. In 1937 they had the notion of giving a pair of new boots to each child deemed most in need by the school teachers. Unfortunately, news of the proposal leaked out and every child turned up for school in the oldest pair of shoes they could find. The idea was abandoned and a tea was given for the children instead.
Meanwhile, the lido remained a popular location for children and adults, particularly during long, hot summers, for many years.
Despite its popularity, acts of vandalism started to occur. In 1941, a Mr J. Bellamy was appointed to attend to the care of the lido. However, the vandalism continued. By 1964 the lido was closed and in a state of disrepair. The story told in the Murray-Threipland family is that youths had rolled large boulders down the mountain into the pool, rendering it unusable.
For decades the only people who went there were children and young adults looking to party and enjoy themselves away from parental eyes.
Today, the pool remains but is in a sorry state. It is still fed by the natural spring but the concrete dam that held the water in the pool has been broken, allowing the water to drain away.
Recently, the people of Troedyrhiw have rediscovered their lido and are working to reclaim the site.