 The lido was built in 1937-38 to designs by the architect Richard Jones, and was hailed as the most innovative design of its type in Britain.With its tea terrace, sun deck, café, perched on the flat roof and distinctive curved wings at either end, it became the only lido to be featured in the Design Museum in London.In 1958, Butlins attempted to buy the derelict lido for development, the application was opposed by residents and eventually rejected by the Ministry of Housing.