Harlesden Swimming Pool – Craven Park – Brent – 1935
Harlesden Swimming Pool once brightened up everyone’s day. Brent Library 1994 tweaked by AGJ
Harlesden Swimming Pool sadly short-lived.
Most residents these days would not know they are walking or living over the site of a swimming pool!
Harlesden Swimming Pool a lovely pool, gave the Gala of it’s life on Opening Day. A feast of current diving stars honoured this pool.Opened June 1st 1935 by Alderman W.A. Hill (JP) Mayor of Willesden along with 7 Alderpersons and 13 Councillors, plus the Town Clerk and Mr F Wilkinson the Borough Engineer & Surveyor.
Aquatic Entertainment included divers of the famous Highgate Diving Club -Mr. C.D. Tomalin – Empire Games representative 1930 and Silver Medallist 1934 and Gold medallist 1938.
European Games representative 1934
Plain Diving Champion of England and held many other Amateur Swimming Association titles.
Mr Tommy Mather – British Empire Champion and Olympic representative 1928 & 1934.
Mr Johnny Rasch – British Empire Springboard Champion 1934 and
Mr Peter Beveridge British Empire Games representative 1934 and
Mr W.R. Browner – Irish International diver.
“As the pumps commenced delivering through the cascades, from a party of Elementary School Children a boy and a girl from each school will plunge into the bath and swim across.” Picture: Wing Commander C.D. Tomlin
General view of the Harlesden Swimming Pool. Brent Library 1994
Built alongside the GWR the pool was rectangular 165ft X 60ft. Held 400,000 gallons of filtrated water.
Had 148 dressing boxes and 728 steel lockers…
-Footbath’s, showers, slipper baths, toilets.
-Attendants rooms.
-Ticket Office at the Denbigh Road entrance.
-Adjoining refreshment room and kitchen.
-Enjoyed night bathing by flood-light.
-Colourful footways.
-Diving stages.
-Water Chutes.
-Sun Beach[…]
Read more…Swimming in the Park Kingsbury Lido
It was a sure fine pool and so well patronised. Nothing would prepare for its eventual short life – so short – present generations may not know it ever existed, and indeed I asked one or two residents back in the 90s if they were aware that a swimming pool had been under their parked cars.
OUTCOME:
Bombed during the war. It’s life as a swimming pool was 4/5 years.
Used as a miniature rifle range.
The Site of the Pool. Many of the surrounding terraces incl. Denbigh Road – entrance to the pool – has now gone. Geo reference 1947 – 64 map. Will expand to full view
Present day: A row of new terraced housing Gifford Road was once the site of the pool. Denbigh Road and adjacent roads along with the properties have all gone. Sadly, most locals don’t realize the pool had ever existed. The whole pool site was triangular between a new road Armstrong Road, leading to Taylors Lane leading to Church Road.
I wonder how many residents know of its once existence?
A Return to Index of Pools
Hi I have just read that Martin who lived in Denbigh rd well we knew you as we lived in Church road 1966 for 5 years and the pool backed onto our garden at the bottom. My name is Susan and my siblings are Douglas, Janet, Christine, raymond & phillip. we used to play with a lot of kids from Denbigh rd Robin the governor) Ian Roulong and his two sisters. John Hawkins ? Paul and others names cant remember so Martin we hung around with you in the Pool so dont know if you remember us.
Gosh we moved into Church rd in 1966 and lived in the old victorian houses for 5 years as they were being demolished. I lived with my parents and 6 sibblings under the name HILL. We knew some of the kids in Denbigh road Robin. John, Martin, Ian Roulon and family and few others and we all used to climb in over the bombed swimming pool it used to be fun. My mum used to go swimming in that pool when she was a young girl. Its sad that the pool was short lived as looks fab in the photos.
Hi my name is Martin and I was born in Denbigh rd (1956) and lived there for 15 years. Along with my mates John ginger, Paldric,Norman, Robin and many others through the years. The Bomb (Craven park lido) was at the top of our rd and I spent most of those years playing there. Greatest adventure playground ever. Me and John bore our families stiff reminiscing about the bomb. Be interested in any photos of the bomb.
MartinMarnell
Very interesting! Thank you. Anne
Hi There I lived in Denbigh road as a child and used to go to the pool (not to swim) but to play we had many happy hour letting our imaginations run away with us. when we were not at the pool we would play on the bomb patch next door. I can remember one year we went to get the bonfire ready for guy fawks and we had an unexploded bomb under all our wood. the military came and took it away. so exciting We also had shelters in our street, but they were not as good as playing in the pool . My pal lived at the top of the street so we could put a ladder up and climb over the wall .Lots of happy memories..What about the big gun on the bridge.Do you remember that.
I spent my childhood in Willesden I lived in Holly Lane which was only a few streets from the pool,in late 1950s early 1960s we knew the place as the Bombed swimming baths and all us kids were banned from there as it was considered structurally unsafe sand at the time there was the danger of leftover antipersonel devices dropped in the war Buttwrfly bombs were still turning up in those kind of places, but kids are kids and we did play there I have great memories of the place hide and seek could go on for hours I went say too much about the experiments we had with fireworks .
The odd thing I remember was that the deep section of the pool was in the middle with either end both being shallow, there was a large split in the concrete basin all across the deep section my Nantold me that a Bombe(intended for the nearby power station)hit the adjacent railway coursing shock/ripple waves that split the pool and damaged houses.
Alan Lewin
Harlesden Swimming Pool : Photographs of my father at Harlesden Swimming Pool. Courtesy of my father W.E. Kocher.
Thank you! Good high dive! Anne