At 91 metres long, Tooting Bec Lido is the largest freshwater swimming pool in England and one of the oldest open-air pools in the country. Lined with brightly coloured changing huts, it has been a feature of south London summers since 1906. The pool opened in July 1906 as the Tooting Bathing-Lake, built in just a few months in the spring of that year. The project was proposed by the local rector partly as a way of providing work for unemployed men in the district. Measuring 100 yards by 33 yards, the lake doubled as a place to wash as well as to swim, at a time when few homes had bathrooms of their own. It holds around a million gallons of unheated fresh water, drawn and filtered on site. The lido was modernised in the 1930s, when a central fountain, a water filtration system, a cafe and changing facilities were added. Its long rows of individual changing cubicles, each painted a different vivid colour, have become its trademark look. The water is famously cold, and the pool is home to the South London Swimming Club, founded within weeks of the opening in 1906. Its members swim all year round, holding races every Sunday as well as on Christmas and New Year's Day. The lido hosted the first United Kingdom Cold Water Swimming Championships in 2006, marking its centenary, and continues to draw hardy swimmers through every season. The club has long given practical help in running and caring for the pool. Owned by the local council and run by a leisure operator, the pool was given a new pump house and filtration system and a refurbished surround in recent years, with a pavilion added in 2017. It reopens each year for the summer season. It lies beside Tooting Bec Common in south London, and remains one of the area's best-loved places to cool off in summer. The pool opens earlier in the day than most, and swimmers are encouraged to book a session ahead in the busy summer months.

Type: Activity

Address: Tooting Bec Road, London, United Kingdom, SW16 1RU

Opening Date: 28/07/1906