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 (ex council workers) 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.
Brockwell Lido was designed by Harry Rowbotham and T. L. Smithson in the Moderne style for the London County Council's Parks Department. It replaced the Brockwell Park bathing pond and is almost identical in design to the Victoria Park Lido in Hackney. It opened in July 1937.
The lido closed in 1990 due to cost-saving measures by Lambeth Borough Council. A Brockwell Lido Users (BLU) group was established in 2001 to lobby for re-opening.[1] The lido management was put out for tender and two former council employees won the contract and reopened the lido in 1994.[2]
Lucy Blakstad's film The Lido was filmed at Brockwell Lido in 1995.[3]
In 2001, the Evian logo was painted on the pool floor in a sponsorship deal worth £110,000. In 2005, £500,000 was awarded from the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the £2.5 million redevelopment.[2] 2001 was also the year BLU were officially formed as a pressure group to save the Lido. With the backing of over 1000 local Lido lovers and swimmers, they demonstrated to Lambeth council the passion that the 'local' people and community had for their Lido. Lambeth brought in Consultants and public meetings were held to establish the best solution to save and preserve the Lido for future generations. A Brockwell Lido Steering Group was created with three of the six stakeholders coming from BLU.
In 2003 Fusion Lifestyle won the competitive tender from Lambeth Council to refurbish Brockwell Lido and create an all year round leisure complex at the site. A newly built gym, spa and fitness studios were constructed over four years and the newly expanded Brockwell Lido site was reopened in October 2007. Swimming lessons and group swim technique/fitness sessions are available with Streamline Swims from May to October (since 2009).
In 2012 the 'Brockwell Icicles' winter swimming group reformed and campaigned for all year round swimming... the current operator Fusion agreed. BLU with the help of BLSC, finally obtained 7 day swimming for the Lido in 2014. Brockwell Lido is now open 7 days a week all year for those who enjoy cold water swimming. (Membership is not required and new cold water swimmers can turn up and pay on the day)
In 2016 in April, Fusion finally installed a poolside sauna at the Lido and later that year at the BLU & BLSG AGM, Fusion agreed to open the whole pool every day from 1 November 2016, all thanks to a concerted campaign by BLU on behalf of the Lido users.
The Brockwell Swimmers club was formed on 27 January 2016. The club is run by volunteers, is non-profit, CASC registered and is a members only club.
The Lido Café is an attached café/restaurant looking onto the pool.[5]
Εvents
On 25 July 2019, amidst record high temperatures across the UK,[6] the police were called as around 500 people tried to "storm" Brockwell Lido.[7]
Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood.
Herne Hill is a district in south London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. There is a road of the same name in the area, as well as a railway station.
Brockwell Park is a 50.8 hectare park located south of Brixton, in Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in south London. It is bordered by the roads Brixton Water Lane, Norwood Road, Tulse Hill and Dulwich Road.
Kennington Park is a public park in Kennington, south London and lies between Kennington Park Road and St. Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854 on the site of what had been Kennington Common, where the Chartists gathered for their biggest "monster rally" on 10 April 1848. Soon after this demonstration the common was enclosed and, sponsored by the royal family, made into a public park.
Tooting Bec Lido is an open-air fresh water swimming pool in South London. It is the largest fresh water swimming pool by surface area in the United Kingdom, being 100 yd (91.4 m) long and 33 yd (30.2 m) wide.
The London Borough of Lambeth, in spite of being close to the centre of London has over 64 areas of parks and open spaces, in addition to 34 play areas and eight paddling pools, within its boundaries. In common with all the London boroughs these green spaces provide "lungs" for the leisure pursuits of the inhabitants.
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 24-26 °C and children's pool to 30 °C. The lido is open from March until October each year for the summer season (heated) and has been open from early November until early February over the winter for cold water swimming since 2021.
Hampton Pool is a heated open air pool or lido in Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is unusual for being open 365 days of the year. It is currently managed by YMCA St Paul’s Group.
Broomhill Pool is a Grade II listed lido on Sherrington Road in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
Tonbridge Swimming Pool is a swimming pool in Tonbridge, Kent. It has an indoor teaching and toddler pool, plus a fitness pool joined to a heated outdoor pool or lido linked by a swim-through channel.
Saltdean Lido at Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, in the city of Brighton and Hove, 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.
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.
Jubilee Park Swimming Pool, Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, England is an open air heated lido.
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.
Woking Park is a large park and leisure complex in Woking, Surrey, operated and maintained by Woking Borough Council. The park is in the Hoe Valley and will be affected by the Hoe Valley Scheme.
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. The name Lido originated from the Lido di Venezia.
Pools on the Park is a Grade II listed swimming pool and leisure facility in Old Deer Park in Richmond, London. Construction on the 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) site started in 1964 and was completed in 1966; the architect was Leslie Gooday. The pool replaced the previous Richmond baths nearby which had been built in Parkshot in 1882.
Teddington Pools and Fitness Centre is a public swimming pool and fitness centre owned and operated by the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames located in Vicarage Road, off the A313, in Teddington.
Charlton Lido is a swimming pool and leisure centre in Hornfair Park, Charlton, southeast London.
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