I’ve been thinking a lot about public spaces – and using them too. As a freelancer in London, I write from coffee shops, wander through museums and recently explored both in my work: a Substack post on cafés as “third places” and a research project on museums as youth-friendly spaces.

That curiosity took me to the Design Museum’s Splash! exhibition for a talk titled “On Social Architecture: Swimming Spaces and the City”. The panel – featuring architectural historian Kathryn Ferry, architect Chris Romer-Lee and Swim Dem Crew’s Peigh Asante – dived into the history of Britain’s public baths and lidos. Born out of 19th-century sanitation efforts, swimming pools later became emblems of civic pride, fitness and fun, especially in the 1930s. 

They were also job creators during the Depression and stylishly designed in classicism. At their peak, the UK had 300 lidos – now, only about half are still making a splash.