Guildford Lido

William Harvey served two consecutive, one-year terms as Mayor of Guildford during the Great Depression. By the end of October 1932, the number of unemployed men in the town had reached 657. By the time the fund closed at the end of March 1933, it had received contributions of £10,720, of which £3000 had been given by the council and the rest donated by members of the public. A total of 150,000 hours of paid work was undertaken by 590 men over the four months that the scheme was operational. Stoke Park had been acquired by the council for £42,500 in 1925, but no work to develop it as an amenity for the town had been undertaken. An open-air swimming pool at the west end of the park was first…

The main pool measures long by wide. Like Hilsea Lido and Stratford Park lido, the deepest point is in the centre, meaning that there are two "shallow ends". In the summer months, the water is heated to around 24 °C. At weekends during the winter season (September to April), the temperature is set to 10 °C. There is level access to the poolside and there are facilities for disabled swimmers, including dedicated changing rooms and a hoist. In 2007, The Independent reported that the lido was attracting visits each year.