A celebration of outdoor swimming - looking at the history, design and architecture of pools, as well as the social aspect. Architectural historian and travel writer Christopher Beanland leaps into pools around the world and finds out why it is that people love to swim outdoors.

A celebration of outdoor swimming ? looking at the history, design and architecture of pools, as well as the social aspect. The 1930s architecture of the pools is often sleek and elegant, evoking speed and efficiency. And the pools themselves are great social levellers ? a public space where everyone is stripped down to a bathing suit. The book begins with a history of the pools ? their grand beginnings after the buttoned-up Victorian era, their falling popularity in the 20th century, and the newfound appreciation for the outdoor pool, or lido, and outdoor swimming in the 21st century.