With temperatures set to rise again, open-air swimming pools are set to be popular places to visit in the coming weeks.

Thornbury once had such an attraction on its doorstep, in the form of the Blue Lagoon at Severn Beach.

The area was a popular holiday destination in the 1920s and 1930s, being known as the Blackpool of the West.

The Blue Lagoon was built during this period and continued to draw big crowds until the 1960s.

Swimming was a popular sport at this time. The newly-formed Thornbury Swimming Club placed an advert in the Gazette on June 21, 1924 inviting applications for membership.

Thornbury Grammar School held their annual swimming gala at the Blue Lagoon for a time, after the local Baths in Thornbury fell into disrepair.

Gazette Series: Thornbury Grammar School pupils at the Blue LagoonThornbury Grammar School pupils at the Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon was demolished in the 1980s, in part to improve the sea defences. But it will always be remembered by those who visited, not least by The Wurzels who mentioned it in their song Aloha, Severn Beach.

Do you have fond memories of visiting the Blue Lagoon? Let us know in the comments.

With thanks to Thornbury Roots and Thornbury Roots and Thornbury and District Museum.

See more historic photos of the Thornbury area at thornburyroots.co.uk