** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO REPORTED QUEUES AT THE LIDO AND PONDS **
We are off for our annual Summer stroll round Hampstead Heath on Sunday the 8th July taking in three iconic swimming spots of the Heath. A bit of Wild Swimming in the middle of London.
Parliament Hill Lido
Parliament Hill Lido was opened on 20 August 1938, one year after Brockwell Lido which opened in 1937. The lido was designed by Harry Rowbotham and TL Smithson and is nearly identical in design to Victoria Park Lido and our Brockwell Park Lido. There was a diving stage, shutes and a café, with areas for sunbathing and spectators. Costing £34,000 to construct, this was the most expensive of London County Council’s 13 lidos built during this period between the wars.
In 1976, after the death of a 15-year-old boy, further safety measures were taken, including removing most of the diving facilities and increasing staff. The last diving board was removed in 2003. Refurbishments after the late 1980s included hot showers, cycle racks, paddling pool and CCTV. In 1986 the lido was taken over by the London Residuary Body and in 1989 by the Corporation of London, who also own the whole of Hampstead Heath. The lido received Grade II Listed in January 1999.
Refurbishment in 2005 included a stainless steel pool lining, the first of its kind for an outdoor pool in Britain. The pool remains unheated and measures 200 by 90 feet or 61m × 27m. There is also a cafe which serves some rather nice sticky buns and hot tea as a nice reward after a long swim.
Hampstead Ponds
The three Hampstead swimming ponds were originally dug in the 17th and 18th centuries as reservoirs to meet London’s growing water demand. They are fed by two streams: the mixed pond to the west has its source near the Vale of Health, while the mens and ladies ponds to the east have a source near Kenwood.
These two streams eventually meet north of Camden to form the Fleet River which flows through London to join the Thames at Blackfriars.
All three ponds are run by the City of London Corporation, which holds the Heath in trust since the abolition of the Greater London Council. In 1986 they tried to close the ponds on the grounds that they were an unsustainable drain on their expenses and posed a health risk to swimmers. The swimmers challenged this and won a victory in the High Court. To defray costs, the Corporation now charge £2 admission per session or £1 for concessions. The Mens and Ladies ponds are open all year to the public, but in the Winter the Mixed Pond is for members only.
For more details members can login and go to our Brockwell Swim Walks 2018 page. If you are not a member you need to register.
** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO REPORTED QUEUES AT THE LIDO AND PONDS **