Bloemfontein Lido – 1923 Hammersmith Pride. An International venue
Bloemfontein Lido above. Home to Champions in its day.
Bloemfontein Lido – “The Pride of Hammersmith”
Adjacent to Wormholt Park the sleepy leafy Bloemfontein Road saw the opening of the Open-Air Baths by His Worship the Mayor of Hammersmith – Alderman Marshall Hays JP. 1923
Bloemfontain Lido main entrance was centrally placed with dressing boxes placed to either side – females to the left and males to the right.
Amidst refreshment areas, including tea lawns, there were store rooms for Clubs, and a cycle park. The lovely pool had its deep end in the centre – all of 7 feet 3 inches. It was 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The floor of the pool was granolithic paving and all footways were paved in artificial stone. This wonderful lido accommodated water polo matches, International swimming events, plus diving exhibitions from the 13 foot high staging.
Bloemfontain Opening Programme. Hammersmith Central Library
The Pool was open to males only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday am, Thursday, Friday am. Females were allowed Wednesday pm, Friday pm and Sunday for 3 hours am… MIXED! Depending hiring requirements cost was 3d and 6d.
The pool hosted swimming and diving championships and an International Water Polo Match one notably being the Penguin Water Polo Players (based at Lime Grove Baths) v. the USA water Polo Team. There were lovely leisurely dips between all the serious work, and wonderful for a family day out […]
Read more…Fulham Baths. A Granny was the lead campaigner to stop its demise. But it was the beginning of the end.
56 years later in 1979 the well loved and “up to date” swimming paradise was changed to an indoor “Tropical Lagoon” under White City Pools. The name changed after 11 years to the Janet Adegoke Leisure Centre, after the first black Mayor of London Hammersmith. She sadly died at the young age of 47 years.
Diving at Bloemfontein. Hammersmith Central Library. 1994.
OUTCOME: The Centre was knocked down in 2003. Wormholt Park saw an empty space, with the area boarded along Bloemfontein Road for many years. Once one of the most up to date facilities in the country. Let’s hope this site will be reborn to serve the community. Picture taken 2004. (See below and further outcome)
Janet’s name lives on. A swimming pool is honoured with the name of Janet Adegoke built within the Phoenix Leisure Complex. This is a little higher up Bloemfontein Road.
The site of the Bloemfontein Pool 2004 agj
Aerial View of where Bloemfontein Lido once occupied. Google earth.
Modern Progress
Site of Bloemfontain Lido – Cranston Court
Look what’s happened to Bloemfontein Lido Site now! CLICK picture for movie. From the top picture to this – modern progress.
Hello Peter, you have someone who remembers you! From Anne of Lost Lidos.
I remember you Peter very well from both Bloemfontein and then Lime Grove!!! Swimming lessons and laughs wow a name I thought I’d never see again!!
Hello. My name is Peter Dewey. I worked as a Swimming Teacher at the Regional Assessment Centre for boys in Goldhawk Road. It had a swimming pool and a gym above. Unfortunately this closed as the building became unsafe. I then applied for a lifeguard/ Swimming teachers position at The Lime Grove Baths. This involved lifeguard duties and the setting up of the Lime Grove wrestling ring. I worked in the small pool before being offered a lifeguard position at the Bloemfontein Open Air Pool. I then went on to become one of the Managers of the UK most modern wave pools.