Gour-rocks! Blur pick lido art for album
IT is the oldest heated swimming pool in Scotland. Now Gourock salt water lido is about to become the most famous too after Britpop legends Blur chose to feature it on their new album’s front cover.
The moody picture of the outdoor pool beside the Firth of Clyde, which opened in 1909, was taken by celebrated British photographer Martin Parr in 2004 for an art exhibition.
He captured a swimmer in the blue water of the Renfrewshire pool with a backdrop of a grey Scottish sky.
Mr Parr said: ‘I stood there for half an hour, waiting for the right person to swim by. It turned out one of most popular pictures I have ever taken.’
Blur announced details of their
‘It’s great to receive a wave of recognition’
latest studio album, The Ballad of Darren, on Thursday. Several of the band’s previous covers have a swimming theme, including Leisure (1991), The Great Escape (1995) and Think Tank (2003), which portrayed a couple embracing in diving helmets.
Mr Parr added: ‘I don’t quite know how they found the photo but I’m very happy to supply it, and of course you get paid as well.’
Ian Galt, the lone swimmer in the image, was unaware he had been snapped until a friend spotted the picture in an exhibition in Glasgow.
The retired dentist says he will now buy the album when it is released in July. Mr Galt added: ‘It’s a fantastic facility. The water’s nice and warm, you get a fabulous view over the wall and can see the Waverley going past and maybe spot porpoises.’
Inverclyde Leisure manager Marc McFarlane said: ‘It’s great to see our prestigious facility receive such a wave of recognition. The picture encapsulates how breathtaking a swim at Gourock Pool can be.’