Hampton Pool
| Hampton Pool | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| 51°25′06″N 0°21′29″W / 51.418308°N 0.357941°W | |
| Location | High Street, Hampton, London, 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 |
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.[1]
Description
The pool, which has two slides, is 36 by 14 metres (118 ft × 46 ft). There is also a small 12-by-7-metre (39 ft × 23 ft) pool 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. Further improvements in 1961 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 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Summer Picnic Concerts". Hampton Pool. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ 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.
