Pools on the Park

Pools on the Park
Main entrance and forecourt
Map
51°27′55″N 0°18′21″W / 51.4652°N 0.3059°W / 51.4652; -0.3059
LocationPools on the Park, Old Deer Park, Richmond, TW9 2SF
Opened1966; 59 years ago (1966)
Operated byRichmond Council's Feel Good Fitness
Owned byRichmond Council
ArchitectLeslie Gooday
Typeheated indoor and outdoor
Former name(s)Richmond Baths
StatusGrade II
Length33.3 metres (109 ft)
Width13 metres (43 ft)
Depth3.6 metres (12 ft)[1]
Websitewww.richmond.gov.uk/pools_on_the_park_info.htm
Features
6-lane main pool, learner pool, 6-lane outdoor pool
Facilities
parking, cafe, gym, sauna, steamroom, extensive grounds
Designations
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameRichmond Baths, Old Deer Park
Designated16 January 1996
Reference no.1246189

Pools on the Park (previously known as Richmond Baths) is a Grade II listed[2] swimming pool and leisure facility in Old Deer Park in Richmond, London. Construction on the 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) site started in 1964 and was completed in 1966; the architect was Leslie Gooday.[3][4] The pool replaced the previous Richmond baths nearby which had been built in Parkshot in 1882.[5]

Pools on the Park is recognised by Historic England as illustrating "the more ambitious use of glazed curtain walling and the post-Wolfenden Report[note 1] emphasis on providing large banks of spectator seating".[7]

The building, which includes 33.3-metre (109 ft) pool and a learner pool inside, and an open-air pool outside, received a Civic Trust award in 1967.[2][8]

Richmond Council manages, directly, the pool and leisure facility.[5][9] Pool on the Park has a long established physiotherapy and osteopathy clinic on site.

Transport

Pools on the Park has its own pay and display car park and is the terminus for London Buses route 490 from Heathrow Terminal 5.[10]

Note

  1. ^ The Wolfenden Report referred to in this instance is that of the Committee on Sport & the Community, chaired by John Wolfenden, whose report, commissioned by the Central Council of Physical Recreation, reported in 1960.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Pools On The Park Richmond". British Swimming & the ASA. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b Historic England (16 January 1996). "Richmond Baths, Old Deer Park (1246189)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. ^ Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1983). The Buildings of England – London 2: South. London: Penguin Books. p. 520. ISBN 0-14-0710-47-7.
  4. ^ "The Old Deer Park, Richmond – A Framework for Conservation and Development" (PDF). The Richmond Society and others. June 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b Andy Hoines (August 2013). "Richmond Pools on the Park". Lidos in London – open for swimming. Oliver Merrington. Archived from the original on 4 April 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Sport & the Community: the report of the Wolfenden committee on Sport 1960". Sports Development. 2 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Designation Listing Selection Guide: Sports and Recreation Buildings". Publications. Historic England. December 2012. p. 7. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  8. ^ Played in Britain (2015). "28.14 Pools on the Park". Played in London: a directory of historic sporting assets in London. English Heritage, now Historic England. p. 139. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Feel Good Fitness is coming to Pools on the Park" (Press release). London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  10. ^ Ian Mason (27 June 2009). "New bus link to Richmond's Pools on the Park". Richmond & Twickenham Times. Retrieved 17 October 2013.