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Knap Lido The Knap, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales Opened in 1927, Knap Lido and its surrounding landscape illustrate quality depression era architecture. Not only was Knap Lido’s construction a valuable source of employment – part of the ‘Out-of-Work’ Government initiative to find labour for the unemployed - to a town suffering from a downturn in the coal trade, but the Lido was also a key part of Barry’s plan to become a resort town. Knap Lido displays an elegant use of early reinforced concrete. Packed with historical appeal – turnstiles, tiled footbaths and beautiful half circles of brightly-coloured changing huts – Knap Lido is one of the few pools left in South Wales and is certainly the most distinguished. Unfortunately, the Lido is now dilapidated and according to a structural survey, the pool and its constituent buildings and structures are in a deteriorating condition. The pump house and mechanical workings were noted to be in an advanced state of disrepair. Some elements of the Lido, notably the beach inspector’s hut (former cloakroom), the shelters, steps and the retaining wall, though in need of attention, were seen to be fit for restoration or refurbishment. Knap Lido was included in The Twentieth Century Society’s previous ‘Buildings at Risk’ publication in 1998. Hope was previously held for the Lido complex in a bid for Heritage Lottery funding put forward by the Knap Pool Restoration Group, which aimed to restore the Lido to its former glory. The group’s imaginative and practical restoration proposal was reliant on the Lido gaining listed status, and therefore, eligibility for appropriate funding. Unfortunately, CADW, The Welsh Historic Monuments group, (The Welsh equivalent of English Heritage) decided to reject the proposed listing of the building, choosing to listen more to South Glamorgan Council (who feared that listing the structures would result in costly maintenance bills), than the argument to list the buildings put forward by the Knap Lido Restoration Committee. Despite exhaustive efforts by the group, Knap Lido, pavilions, pump house and all is being demolished over a sixteen week period, starting from the 1st of March, 2004 as South Glamorgan Council has gained Conservation Area Consent to demolish the complex and now has sufficient funding to carry out the demolition. In place of the Lido, South Glamorgan Council plans to grass over the pool and pave over other bits of the site, resulting in some barren looking soft and hard landscaped areas. It is a shame that such an elegant piece of architecture should be lost forever and replaced with something that offers the city so little. Tom Houston
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