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Forest Hill Swimming Pools,
Dartmouth Road, London, SE23 3HZ - 020 8699 3096 |
"Welcome to Forest Hill" its says over the doorway. And
it is a welcome to both Forest Hill & Sydenham. Occupying a central point
on Dartmouth Road it may just be one side of the frontier but it serves schools
and people equally from both communities.
The Pools opened on May 2nd 1885 in a Victorian crusade
for 'health & safety'. This was to bring baths and clean warm water to many
parts of the growing population in the area who had no or ilimited access. The
Pools indeed had 'slipper baths' specifically to enable people to have a bath
in private. It also had upper class and working class pools so social mobility
would not enabled by the shedding of clothes when bathing in public.
Steve Grindlay is his historical article (see link
below) to celebrate the Pools 120th birthday reminds us to look around the
building to see that it had three entrances - 1st class males, 2nd class males
& females. All were kept very seperate. The building was designed by Wilson
and Aldwinckle (the latter lived in Dacres Road). Steve says "Today the pools
are, almost certainly, the oldest substantially intact baths to survive in the
London area".
Bathing has changed. Some pools provide for the
sporting element. Forest Hill Pools was home for Linda Lovegrove, Commonwealth
Gold Medalist & World Record holder 1962-67. Other pools have developed
into themed tropical leisure centres. Does this leave Forest Hill Pools in a
timewarp needing large amounts of money for refurbishment but uncertain if its
format is right for the future.
This issue has been running on for a decade. Lewisham
threatened to close the pools in 1996. A local popular campaign led by Kristine
Taylor who set up the Friends of Forest Hill Baths overwhelmed the council.
They relented. But once considered, never forgotten?
Lewisham are now leading a consultation on the pools
future. What do residents and swimmers want to happen to them? The Mayor said
he remained committed to keeping swimming facilities in Forest Hill but it was
up to the public to say what was needed.
Steve Bullock said: "There is a choice between
refurbishing the current pool - and that will have the upside that it can be
done relatively quickly and keeps the building. But nevertheless it's still
quite an old facility and it's never going to be like a modern pool. Or we
could replace it with a new pool but if we did that we would lose the
building."
The consultation plan should ready in June, 2005. The
Council would then be able to consider long term leisure provision in Forest
Hill in the Autumn of 2005. We await the plans to discuss this
publicly.....
Useful links:
sdg 11/05/2005 |
