Charlton Lido

Last updated

Charlton Lido
Charlton Lido deep end.jpg
The deep end of Charlton Lido
Charlton Lido
51°28′33″N0°02′20″E / 51.4759°N 0.0390°E / 51.4759; 0.0390 Coordinates: 51°28′33″N0°02′20″E / 51.4759°N 0.0390°E / 51.4759; 0.0390
AddressHornfair Park, Shooters Hill Rd, London
PostcodeSE18 4LX
Opened1939
Operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited
Owned by Greenwich London Borough Council
ArchitectHarry Rowbotham and T. L. Smithson
Typeopen air
Length50 metres (160 ft)
Width20 metres (66 ft)
Website Charlton Lido website
Facilities
gym, spin studio, cafe

Charlton Lido (branded as Charlton Lido and Lifestyle Club) is a swimming pool and leisure centre in Hornfair Park, Charlton, southeast London.

Contents

Facilities

As well as the outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool heated to 25C all year, [1] the centre has a children's pool, outdoor sunbathing space, a gym, spin studio, and a cafe and rooftop terrace, [1] plus tennis courts nearby. [2] It is managed by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL, trading as 'Better') on behalf of Greenwich London Borough Council. [3]

History

The last municipal lido to be built in London, Charlton Lido first opened in May 1939. [4] Similar to other London County Council lidos designed by Harry Rowbotham and T. L. Smithson in the Moderne style, [5] it has a 165-foot main pool, a smaller children's pool, cascaded aerator fountains and Moderne-style shelters and changing blocks. [6] It closed four months after opening due to the outbreak of World War II, eventually reopening in 1946. [7]

Declining revenue and increasing costs meant the lido closed to the public in 1989, though it continued to be used sporadically by local clubs. [7] It became derelict in the 2000s, but was refurbished ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, with the first phase completed in July 2012, attracting 5,000 visitors in its first month of operation. [8] At the time of the £5m refurbishment, a GLL proposal to rename it "Royal Greenwich Lido" was rejected. [9] [5] The refurbishment was completed in 2013, [10] creating what was described by The Guardian as "London’s newest (refurbished) lido, a sparkling facility in an otherwise unremarkable part of London". [11]

In 2019, an event was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the lido's opening, attended by Olympic gold medallist swimmer Duncan Goodhew and Channel swimmer Tom Gregory. [12] Forced to close during the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Charlton Lido was the first lido to reopen, on 11 July 2020, when restrictions were relaxed. [13] Lamenting the COVID-19 lockdown closure of swimming pools, the London Evening Standard's Vicky Frost earlier described it as:

"... defiantly not built for Instagram. It has neither the cool of Brockwell or London Fields, nor, thankfully, the freezing waters of Tooting or Parliament Hill lidos. ... Instead its 50m lengths are the perfect temperature, and its chilly terraces the perfect space for a post-swim cup of tea." [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockwell Lido</span>

Brockwell Lido is a large lido in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, London. It opened in July 1937, closed in 1990 and after a local campaign was re-opened in 1994. Two ex council employees Paddy and Casey took on the running of the Lido for the community. Lambeth council gave Paddy & Casey a peppercorn lease rate from 1994–2001. Lambeth gave them a one-year extension in 2002 whilst a public consultation was held to decide on the longer term sustainable future of the Lido.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesus Green Swimming Pool</span>

Jesus Green Swimming Pool is a lido situated on Jesus Green in Cambridge, England. Opened in 1923, it is one of the few remaining examples of the lidos built across the country in the 1920s — open air pools with space for activities other than swimming. Unusually, the pool is significantly longer than it is wide — this was a design idea to mimic swimming in the nearby river. It opens for public bathing every day from May to September each year, and remains open but operates reduced hours over the winter period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrender Baths</span>

Warrender Swim Centre – traditionally known as Warrender Baths – is a swimming pool and fitness complex that opened in 1887 in Marchmont, Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hill Pools</span>

Forest Hill Pools is a leisure centre in Forest Hill, London. After being closed in 2006, it was rebuilt including two pools and a health and fitness suite and reopened in September 2012. It is located close to Forest Hill railway station, Forest Hill Library and Sydenham School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandford Parks Lido</span>

Sandford Parks Lido is a Grade II Listed heated outdoor swimming pool in Cheltenham, England. The lido consists of a 50-metre main pool, a children's pool, and paddling pool. The main pool is heated to 26 °C and children's pool to 30 °C. The lido is open from March until October each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thames Lido</span> Historic open air swimming pool and lido in Reading, UK

The Thames Lido, formerly known as the King's Meadow swimming pool, is an open-air swimming pool or lido located in King's Meadow in Reading, Berkshire. It was first opened to the public in 1903 as the Ladies Swimming Bath and is believed to be the oldest surviving outdoor municipal pool of a similar early Edwardian era. In August 2004, as a result of a campaign, the building was awarded Grade II listed building status. It re-opened in 2017 after three years of restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peterborough Lido</span> Open air swimming pool in Peterborough, England

The Lido in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire was first opened as the Corporation Swimming Pool in 1936 by the Mayor of Peterborough Arthur Mellows, and is one of the few survivors of its type still in use in the United Kingdom. A striking building with elements of art deco design, the Lido and surrounding gardens cover an area of roughly two and a half acres, lying adjacent to the embankment of the River Nene, south of the city centre. Designed in the "hacienda style", it is considered one of the finest surviving examples in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Pools</span> Oldest public outdoor swimming pool in England

Cleveland Pools located in Hampton Row, Bath, Somerset, England is a semi-circular lido built to designs by John Pinch the Elder in 1815. It is believed to be the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in England. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltdean Lido</span> Historic site in Brighton and Hove, England

Saltdean Lido at Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, in the Brighton and Hove district, in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England, is an Art Deco lido designed by architect R.W.H. Jones. Originally listed at Grade II by English Heritage for its architectural and historical importance, its status was upgraded further to "Grade II*" on 18 March 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilsea Lido</span>

Hilsea Lido is a freshwater lido at Hilsea, Portsmouth, England. The lido was closed for a number of years but reopened undergoing refurbishment under the control of Hilsea Lido Pool for the People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gourock Outdoor Pool</span>

Gourock Outdoor Pool is a salt water public lido in Gourock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the oldest heated swimming pool in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oasis Sports Centre, London</span>

Oasis Sports Centre is a leisure centre in Holborn, London, operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited on behalf of the London Borough of Camden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex</span> Leisure centre in Uxbridge, England

The Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Complex is a leisure centre in Uxbridge, operated by Fusion Lifestyle on behalf of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The complex is centred on the Grade II listed outdoor swimming pool, known as Uxbridge Lido until 2010, when the newly built centre and refurbished pool were opened. A new indoor pool was built beside the lido as part of the redevelopment works, opening in February 2010, followed a day later by the outdoor pool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament Hill Lido</span> Outdoor swimming pool in Camden, Greater London, UK

Parliament Hill Lido, located in Hampstead Heath, north London, is next to Gospel Oak railway station. The lido, also known as Hampstead Heath Lido, is a public unheated open air swimming pool, open for 12 months a year. It first opened in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beccles Lido</span> Outdoor swimming pool in Beccles, Suffolk, England

Beccles Lido is an open-air pool at Puddingmoor, Beccles, Suffolk, on the banks of the River Waveney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camberwell Public Baths</span>

Camberwell Public Baths opened in 1892 and has been in continuous operation as publicly funded community baths and more recently as a public leisure centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of lidos in the United Kingdom</span>

The golden age of lidos in the United Kingdom was in the 1930s, when outdoor swimming became popular, and 169 were built across the UK as recreational facilities by local councils. Many lidos closed when foreign holidays became less expensive, but those that remain have a dedicated following.

Portobello Open Air Pool was opened in Portobello, Edinburgh on Saturday 30 May 1936 at a cost of £90,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubilee Pool</span> Historic site in Cornwall, England

Jubilee Pool is an Art Deco lido in Penzance, Cornwall. It is Grade II listed, being recognised as the finest surviving example of its type with the exception of Saltdean Lido. With a capacity of 5 million litres and 600 swimmers and measuring 300 feet long and 160 feet wide, it is the UK's largest seawater pool.

References

  1. 1 2 Wilkinson, Janet; Pusill, Emma (2019). The Lido Guide. Unbound. pp. 158–159. ISBN   9781783527441.
  2. ↑ Ellis, David (11 May 2022). "London's best outdoor swimming pools and lidos, from Hampstead Heath to London Fields". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Pool of the Month: Charlton Lido Archived 2019-10-18 at the Wayback Machine , Time Out.
  4. ↑ Adkins, Frankie (19 July 2021). "The south London lidos to visit during heatwave". News Shopper. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 Inglis, Simon (2014). Played in London: Charting the heritage of a city at play. Swindon: English Heritage. p. 163. ISBN   9781848020573.
  6. ↑ Charlton Village Conservation Area Draft Management Strategy. London: Royal Borough of Greenwich. March 2016. p. 23. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 "London's Lidos Charlton". London Transport Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Charlton Lido celebrates 5,000 visitors since last month's reopening". News Shopper. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  9. ↑ Trotter, Sarah (30 September 2013). "Consultation over Charlton Lido renaming after tide of opposition". News Shopper. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Charlton Lido History Archived 2019-10-18 at the Wayback Machine , Southwark News.
  11. ↑ Choat, Isabel (24 July 2015). "An outdoor swimming tour of London – top 10 lidos and ponds". Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Graham-Simms, Nicola (14 May 2019). "Swimmers help celebrate Charlton lido's 80th birthday". London News Online. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Beanland, Christopher (23 July 2020). "Lidos are reopening — and outdoor swimmers can't wait to get back in the water". The i. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  14. ↑ Frost, Vicky (1 May 2020). "I'm dreaming about swimming - the sense of power and peace". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.