The world’s safest library. Happy 75th Birthday to the pool’s sister building, Broomhill Library. Both buildings were designed in complementary modernist style by Ipswich County Borough engineer, Edward McLauchlan. It was originally constructed by the Ministry of War in 1942 as public air raid shelter and gas decontamination centre (and would have been used to treat infectious disease too). It was blast proof and gas proof, constructed of foot thick reinforced concrete with a flat concrete roof. Fortunately never called in to action in WW2, it was converted to a public library which opened its doors on the 31st January 1948. This is surely the safest place to read a book in the world! The Ipswich architectural gem was Grade II listed in 2012.
Broomhill Pool Trust 