Portsmouth's long 1930s pool at the top of Portsea Island, kept alive by local campaigners and reopened after a big restoration
Open to visitorsopen all year; book swims online a week ahead — check times before you go
When it opened in July 1935, Joseph Parkin’s 67-metre Hilsea Lido was one of the deepest outdoor pools in Britain, 4.6 metres (15 feet) at its deepest. In 2010, after the council had dropped plans to refurbish it, a community trust, Hilsea Lido Pool for the People, took a 99-year lease and kept the lido alive. The pool closed in 2022, a £7.6m restoration paid for by the Levelling Up Fund followed, and the works reduced its depth to 2.6 metres. Hilsea reopened in May 2026, run by the team behind Sea Lanes in Brighton with South Downs Leisure, with a sauna and food on site. The water is unheated, from about 10°C in winter to 23°C in summer, and the pool is open all year. Swims are booked online or in the app, a week ahead. Cosham station is about 1km north-east, and Portchester Castle, a Roman fort with a medieval castle inside its walls, is a short drive west.
