A reminder that this month’s meeting is upstairs at the Library on Wednesday 8th March. The meeting will be writer and researcher Pam Brook giving a talk entitled “Morecambe: Beauty Surrounds, Health Abounds.” The title is taken from the motto used by the town in its heraldic crest. The seaside resort has always been a popular destination for the residents of Keighley, as it is within easy reach courtesy of the direct rail line between both towns.
Pam says: “Between 1930 and 1938, 180 lidos were built in Britain to support the health and fitness of the nation. Sunshine and heliotherapy were all the rage and knitwear manufacturers competed to produce the most streamlined knitted swimming costumes. Morecambe’s Super Swimming Stadium opened in July 1936 and provided high diving, entertainment, displays and beauty competitions until its closure in the 1970s. My talk charts the pool and the bathing costume from the interwar period to the decline of Miss Great Britain.”
A limited number of copies of “In The Swim: Morecambe’s super swimming stadium” by Barry and Lesley Guise, to which Pam contributed, will be available on the night. The book costs £18 and is cash only if you are interested.
The meeting is on Wednesday 8th March at Keighley Library. Doors open at 7pm. Anyone is welcome to attend. It costs £3.50 to attend, unless you have joined the History Society (entry is free for members). Members can also choose to attend via Zoom if they prefer. You can join the History Society on the evening, membership costs £15 and covers the rest of this year.
Future talks include Graham Mitchell talking about life working on the buses in Keighley in the 1960s (12th April) and Andrew Heaton giving a talk on the Dockroyd graveyard project (10th May). For more details see the History Society’s website or Facebook pages.
