Tooting Bec Lido
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is the largest swimming pool by surface area in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, being 100 yards (91.44 m) long and 33 yards (30.18 m) wide.
The Lido
Lido
The Lido is an 11 km long sandbar located in Venice, northern Italy, home to about 20,000 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.-Geography:...
is on Tooting Bec Common
Tooting Commons
The Tooting Commons consist of two adjacent areas of common land lying between Balham, Streatham and Tooting, in south west London: Tooting Bec Common and Tooting Graveney Common....
between Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
and Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. An original condition of construction was that it should be concealed from views across the common by a surrounding earth ramp. This ramp is now largely covered with bird-filled trees, except where it is breached by the new entrance.
The alternating bright red, yellow, and green doors of the changing cubicles seen above the turquoise water make the Lido a popular location for advertisement "shoots" and other filming. Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
's boxing "pool" scene in Snatch
Snatch (film)
Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
was filmed at the Lido.
The Lido is operated and maintained by the London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
.
Access
The Lido is open to the general public from late May to the end of September each year. Tooting Bec Lido is home to the South London Swimming ClubSouth London Swimming Club
South London Swimming Club is one of the largest swimming clubs in the UK. Based at Tooting Bec Lido, South-West London, the club swim outdoors all year round.-History:...
(SLSC) who have exclusive use of the Lido during the winter months, and members of the club can still swim all year around between 7am and 2pm. Yearly membership is currently (2011) priced at £125.
History
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, as a project to provide work for unemployed local men. It holds one million gallons (4,500 m3) of water .
Strict segregation of the sexes was originally enforced, with women and girls confined to one morning a week. Mixed bathing
Mixed bathing
Mixed bathing is a term that refers to members of the opposite gender swimming together in the same pool. In ancient Rome, mixed bathing was never the rule in public installations, although it did occur in private facilities. Today, in Japan, the practice is not common...
was not introduced until 1931, and then only at specified times. At the same time an "aerator", or fountain, was added to help pump the water round the pool and keep it clean. The main reason given for this act of modernisation was because more women would be swimming there and higher standards of hygiene were apparently needed.
Five years later, in 1936, a cafe was built along with cubicles with proper doors. It was around this time that Tooting Bec's pool became a "lido" when the term became widely used in England.
Tooting Bec Lido was nearly closed as a result of Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
council's financial cutbacks in the early 1990s which resulted in the closure of the borough's other lido at King George's Park
King George's Park
King George's Park is a park in Wandsworth, South London.- Park description :The park was originally called Southfields Park and was laid out in 1922.[1] It was officially opened by King George V in 1938. The park is about 770 m long in the nouth-south direction, with an average width of 120 m. The...
. It was saved as a result of the campaigning efforts of the SLSC who took over the management of the Lido outside the summer season.
Since 1999, Wandsworth has invested in making improvements to the Lido.
The most visible (and controversial) was the move of the public entrance to the northern "shallow end". This removed the need for children and non-swimmers to pass along the narrow paths at the southern "deep end". The new entrance was initially highly visible from across the Common, reduced the lido's sense of seclusion, and made the lido's northern terrace windier. Plantings of willow trees outside the entrance are starting to soften the visual impact. The original "deep end" entrance remains in use during the winter.
The pool was drained and repainted in 2005 in advance of a summer programme of events to celebrate the Lido's centenary. More fundamental works to reline the pool and relay paving, requiring a prolonged closure period, took place over the winter of 2006–07. The Lido reopened to members of the SLSC in March 2007, when they hosted the Cold Water Championships.