Annie Morgan James and Becky Allen have written a new book celebrating Jesus Green Lido, with historic photos and stories from its regulars
Interview Liz Potter Image Kane Smith
Our city has enjoyed a long association with swimming. In 1587, it was a fellow at St John’s College, Everard Digby, who first set down how to do it in his De Arte Natandi (The Art of Swimming), with woodcuts showing the techniques for breaststroke, backstroke and crawl. So it’s no surprise that the city has its own cherished swimming traditions – not least at our iconic open-air pool, celebrated in the new book 100 Yards, 100 Voices: A Century of Swimming at Jesus Green Lido.
“We wanted to mark its centenary by writing about the origins of the pool and interviewing some of the regulars who use it,” explains historian Annie Morgan James, who co-wrote the book with journalist Becky Allen. “Becky suggested the title 100 Yards, 100 Voices and it all fell into place.”
Together, the pair have brought the pool’s rich history to life. “We started our research at the Cambridgeshire Archives in Ely,” says Annie. “We found the original council meeting minutes where the idea of a pool at Jesus Green was first proposed. Most of our discoveries were made at the Cambridgeshire Collection on the top floor of Cambridge Central Library. After several visits, we came across some original source materials – swimming club scrap books, photos, newspaper cuttings and diaries. Archive copies of Cambridge News showed the opening of the pool in 1923.
“We discovered that river swimming was a really popular pastime here in the 1920s,” says Annie. “It was a recreational hobby for many, but also a competitive sport between the colleges and local clubs such as the Granta and City of Cambridge Swimming Clubs.
“There was a bit of town-and-gown rivalry, but because the new pool was public it brought everyone together. Water polo was huge; photographs show the place absolutely rammed with spectators. That’s something we want to try to resurrect.”
One of the main reasons for building the lido was to teach city children to swim. “It was built in a central location, parallel to the river, so that all the local schoolchildren could visit. In the lido’s early years, water was pumped into the pool from the river and swimmers would complain about the little fish in it!”
The fact that the pool was built with a ‘middle deep’ is unusual. “Originally they were going to create two separate pools – one for women and one for men,” says Annie. “In the end they decided to build just one pool, and that’s why it’s so long: 91 metres. Along with Tooting Bec it’s the longest lido in the UK.”
Regulars were interviewed at the poolside and have been remarkably candid, some revealing how cold-water swimming has helped improve mental health and beat chronic pain, for instance. “Everybody had an interesting tale to tell,” says Annie. “One of our oldest swimmers, Joan Ludman, was a champion river swimmer in the 50s and still swims here today, though not in winter.
“Pink Floyd used to swim there too – at least Dave’s brother Peter Gilmour and Syd Barrett did. Hanging out at Jesus Green pool was a rite of passage for teenagers at one point in time. It’s so much more than just a swimming pool,” says Becky. “Everybody who comes here feels that it’s special, which is why the book is so full of wonderful stories. We all love and value it. There’s just something very unique about swimming outside and seeing the lime trees change with the seasons.
“For me, it’s an enchanted place,” adds Annie, who once swam here with her mother, then her daughters and now with her grandchildren. “I like the idea of pushing through these old-fashioned turnstiles into another world, where the air feels different and you can breathe.”
The lido is open all year round, even attracting swimmers in neoprene booties and woollen hats in the colder months. “One year, we had to break the ice,” says Becky. “I didn’t go in that day! But there’s the sauna to warm up in, hot showers and the cafe for hot drinks. We get all sorts of people in winter – some in wetsuits, others in bikinis – ours is a very broad church.”
