A little bit of fairy magic

It was bracing in Skegness last week. That's as it should be. Its famous Jolly Fisherman has coaxed visitors with that very description since the poster by John Hassell was created in 1908.

The town had taken a few hours to wake up but, with the kids back to school, one of the town's beloved attractions was still deserted at midday.

Dougie and I came across the Fairy Dell paddling pool as we strolled around the town. We'd never encountered it before and yet thousands of families have been flocking there since the 1920s. It's a place where children can squeal with delight in the sprinklers and paddle safely in the shallow meandering pool that surrounds the iron fountain at its centre. What's more, it's completely free to visit.

One of three paddling pools run by East Lindsay District Council, the other two in Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea, Fairy Dell has an interesting history. We met one of the council workers who looks after the pool and he talked to us about the pool, supplementing the information and photographs available on a nearby board.

Skegness grew in popularity as a seaside resort after it was connected to the railways in 1873. The splendid iron fountain was originally located in Lumley Square, with gas lamps on the top to light up the road. Even in Victorian times, Health and Safety officials decided this was a hazard, so the lamps were removed and the fountain moved to Marine Gardens in 1888.

When the Embassy Theatre and swimming pool were built in the late 1920s, the fountain was shifted again, this time near the end of the new boating lake. The Fairy Dell paddling pool was constructed around the fountain in 1929.

We were told about the Axenstrasse, a covered walkway and seating area which screened the lake from the children's pool. It was based on a roadway cut into the rock face at St Gothard's Pass in Switzerland, lending an Alpine look to the surroundings.

The clever design and European influences came from Rowland Jenkins, engineer and architect, who held office with the Skegness Urban District Council from 1912 to his death in 1952. His flair and vision for the town was recognised last year when the entire Skegness foreshore was registered by Historic England as a place of special historic interest.

In 2006, the Fairy Dell was renovated and the old crazy paving replaced with a safe rubberised surface. During this year's heatwave, the pools were a godsend to families: children played in safety and parents watched from the faux-rock sheltered seating. I'm sure they were all very grateful for the petition that encouraged the council to keep the pool open, when there had been plans to close it in 2016.

Long may the Fairy Dell paddling pool grace the Skegness sea front. An important piece of history with its sprinkling of fairy magic makes this a treasured Lincolnshire attraction.

You can read Trish's blog at www.mumsgoneto.co.uk