Listen to the track:
The Pool at Heybrook Bay
The swimming pool at Wembury Point Holiday Camp, overlooking Heybrook Bay, was a seawater lido built in the 1920s–30s by damming a small tidal inlet with concrete walls. In its early years it filled naturally at high tide and drained as the tide fell, before later improvements added a slide, three-tier diving board, and a filtration system. The holiday camp itself offered around 200 wooden chalets, alongside tennis, roller skating, and other leisure facilities. The pool’s grand opening in 1939 was marked by the appearance of Veronica, a variety entertainer then performing at the Alhambra Theatre in Devonport. The Alhambra, remodelled in 1924, was one of the city’s best-known theatres until its destruction in the Blitz of 1941.
THE OPENING OF THE NEW SWIMMING POOL AT THE WEMBURY POINT HOLIDAY CAMP HEYBROOK BAY, near PLYMOUTH BY MLLE. VERONICA, who is appearing; at the ALHAMBRA THEATRE, DEVONPORT, This Week. For a Really Jolly Holiday come to the WEMBURY POINT HOLIDAY CAMP ONLY seven miles from Plymouth, with glorious sea views of Plymouth Sound and the beautiful River Yealm PUTTING TENNIS. ROLLER SKATING. TABLE TENNIS FIRST-CLASS DANCE FLOOR.' WEEKLY PROGRAMMES OF SPORT AND HORSE RIDING. 2-Room Chalets, fitted H. and C. running water. Catering by a first-class Chef. TERMS FROM 50/- Weekly. Write or Phone Wemburv 234 for Illustrated Brochure.
Sunlight on the water, summer calls today
Voices ringing brighter at the pool in Heybrook Bay
Laughing as the tide fills, diving boards will sway
Holiday forever at the pool in Heybrook Bay
Chalets on the hillside, shining in the sun
Roller skates and dancing when the daytime’s done
Veronica is singing, clear and strong her song
Waves against the shoreline carry us along
Sunlight on the water, summer calls today
Voices ringing brighter at the pool in Heybrook Bay
Laughing as the tide fills, diving boards will sway
Holiday forever at the pool in Heybrook Bay
Tennis on the green lawns, table games to play
Horses on the bridle paths, riders on their way
Crowds are gathered cheering, music fills the air
Opening the lido with a song to share
From Plymouth Sound to the River Yealm
The coast is bright, the sea our realm
Sing it loud, let the laughter stay
Raise a cheer for Heybrook Bay
Sunlight on the water, summer calls today
Voices ringing brighter at the pool in Heybrook Bay
Laughing as the tide fills, diving boards will sway
Holiday forever at the pool in Heybrook Bay