Hampton Pool
Hampton Pool, High Street, Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a heated open air pool or lido which unusually is open 365 days of the year. It is currently managed by YMCA St Paul’s Group.[1]
| Hampton Pool | |
|---|---|
| 51.418308°N 0.357941°W | |
| Address | High Street, Hampton, London |
| Postcode | TW12 2ST |
| Opened | 1922* |
| Operated by | Hampton Pool Trust |
| Type | open-air, heated |
| Length | 36 metres (118 ft) |
| Width | 14 metres (46 ft) |
| Website | hamptonpool.co.uk |
| |
Description
The pool, which has two slides, is 36 x 14 metres. There is also a small pool (12 x 7 metres) for children.
Other facilities include a gym, fitness-studio and cafeteria.
It is operated by the Hampton Pool Trust, a registered charity (number 294117)[2] and not for profit company (number 01870925).[3] It is managed by YMCA St Paul's Group on behalf of the Trust.[4][5] The Trust's fund-raising activities also include summer open-air concerts.[6]
History
The lido was built in 1922 after plans approved in 1914 were delayed due to the outbreak of the First World War.
In 1939 a diving pit and filtration system was added and in 1961 further improvements included widening the pool, and adding a new building and a car park.
By 1980 Richmond Council decided to close the lido for financial reasons. After local community campaigning, in which over £60,000 was raised, the pool was reopened in 1985. The management of the pool was transferred to Hampton Pool Ltd, a company created by the campaign group.[7][8]
Notes and references
- "YMCA St Paul's Group Swimming". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- "Hampton Pool". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Company details". Companies House. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- "Hampton Pool". YMCA St Paul’s Group. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- "Legal structure". Hampton Pool. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- "Hampton Pool Concerts". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- Norris, Ashley (6 July 2002). "Travel: On the cheap: Lidos: The city's beaches: If you can't make it to the coast, try your local lido. Ashley Norris samples eight in a day". The Guardian.
Finally, a little dazed by the sun and tired from driving, I arrive at Hampton Lido in west London. I couldn't have picked a better time to visit, for it is 80 years to the day that the pool first opened. The lido still looks in pretty good shape. The 36m pool is heated, open all year round and caters for families as well as serious swimmers.
- For a detailed history of this lido, see Smith, Janet (January 2006). Liquid assets: the lidos and open air swimming pools of Britain. English Heritage. ISBN 0-9547445-0-0. Page 162, and "Our History". Hampton Pool. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
