Jubilee Pool - Penzance

The Jubilee Pool is one of Penzance’s star attractions: a unique, gigantic triangular Art Deco lido right on the edge of Mount’s Bay. The pool provides safe, tide-proof swimming in 5 million litres of seawater, which is partially replaced daily with no mechanical filtration and minimal chemical treatment for a natural seawater swimming experience. It's surrounded by extensive sunbathing terraces enclosed by thick walls which give some degree of protection from the elements. There’s also a café with stunning views over the bay, community activity and therapy spaces, a learners section of the pool, and - the latest technologically and environmentally advanced addition - a geothermally heated section as well. The pool first opened in 1935, the year of King George V’s silver jubilee, from which it took its name. Its stout protective walls have withstood many gales for nearly a century since then, but a particularly ferocious winter storm in 2014 almost reduced it to rubble. But the people of Penzance refused to let their much-loved lido die, and instead launched a fundraising campaign to pay for the repairs, remodelling and future-proofing of this national treasure. The central element of the campaign was the addition of a geothermally heated section of the pool, to extend the operating season from four months a year to all year round. Heat extracted from a 410-metre deep well is used to raise the water temperature in the geothermal pool to 30 - 35 degrees, with an exceptionally low carbon footprint. The remodelling programme also took accessibility very much into account, particularly for users with impaired mobility. There is now full ramped access to almost every part of the lido, and a hoist and disabled changing room are available.

The pool offer a concession rate for those with specific health care access needs and free swimming for carers if their assistance is required for swimming.

Our visit to the Jubilee Pool was a very enjoyable experience overall. The staff we spoke to were knowledgeable and helpful, and though the entrance to the pool was unusually crowded and noisy, we were able to relax and enjoy our swim once we were in the water: "Why didn't we do this months ago?" we both wondered.

There are downsides to the Jubilee Pool for people with special access needs. Its cramped entrance route may potentially be stressful for people with cognitive differences, and there are no special arrangements or aids for their benefit. The complicated route down from the entrance terrace to the poolside may be difficult for people with visual impairments to cope with. Once again, there are no special arrangements or aids for these people, nor for hearing impaired users. There is plenty of room for improvement here. People with mobility impairments are much better catered for, though there is still some way to go before the pool can be recommended as a perfect accessible venue for them,
either. The shiny vertical ladders giving access into the water - which, ironically, replaced the old concrete steps as part of the accessibility improvement programme - will be challenging or downright impossible for some people with mobility difficulties to use. There is a hoist, but many users such as me would not normally need to use one if suitable access steps were provided. The revamped disabled changing room is functional but uninviting and bleak at the moment, and at least one more changing room would be a welcome addition.

All in all, though, the Jubilee Pool and its excellent cafe offer a pleasant, relatively accessible day out beside the seaside, with the benefit of fabulous views. Well, at least they do on one of West Cornwall's all too rare, but absolutely glorious warm and sunny days!