Saltdean Lido, Saltdean

The Saltdean Lido was designed by architect R H W Jones and was opened in 1938.

Saltdean and Rottingdean Local Historian, Douglas d'Enno, author of The Saltdean Story has provided some wonderful information for the www.saltdean.info website. The site includes historic photos of the lido and details of Saltdean during the pre-War period.

d'Enno draws comparisons between the Saltdean Lido and the 1935 De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. There are certainly common elements.

Lidos were very popular in the UK during the 1920s and 30s but now many have survived into the 21st Century. It is nice to see Saltdean Lido is one of the rare survivors.

Bethany, Saltdean

This wonderful house is in Saltdean, near Brighton on the south coast of England.

It is now called Bethany but in a former life was know as Bedford and according to 'The Ocean Hotel, Lido and the War' at www.saltdean.info, the house was central to The Saltdean Fellowship, a self-help residents organisation whose objectives were 'tending to casualties, helping the homeless destitute through war and organizing first aid and home nursing classes and also organising working parties for providing required items by the fighting and mercantile services, providing social functions and to generally promote a sense of community spirit'.

'Most Fellowship meetings were held at 'Bedford', now 'Bethany' in Arundel Drive West, home of Mrs Hill, and over 5 years mountains of garments (1626 woolens alone) were sent for dispatch to the services, Merchant Navy and the blitzed people of Britain and Russia. On 25 November 1940, Miss Margaret Hardy returned to 'Bedford' to a sale of household goods, garments and fancy leather work which sold so quickly that when a reporter from the Herald arrived halfway through the day most of the goods had gone. This raised a huge £56 for deserving causes'.

Bethany is now used as holiday accommodation.