The Hampstead Ponds or Highgate Ponds are three large freshwater swimming ponds — two designated single sex, and one for 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...

 — fed by the headwater springs of the River Fleet

River Fleet

The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers. Its two headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath; each is now dammed into a series of ponds made in the 18th century, the Hampstead Ponds and the Highgate Ponds. At the south edge of Hampstead Heath these two streams flow...

 — in Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath

Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...

, North London, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

They were originally dug in the 17th and 18th centuries as reservoirs. A malarial marsh was drained by the Hampstead Water Company in 1777 to meet London's growing water demand.

In 2004, the City of London Corporation, which has held the Heath in trust, since the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986, tried to close the ponds on the grounds that they were an unsustainable drain on their expenses and posed a health risk to swimmers. The swimmers challenged this and won a victory in the High Court

High Court of Justice

The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...

. To defray costs, the Corporation introduced a charge for admission of £2 per session, £1 for concessions. There was some opposition to this on the grounds that swimming there had been free since at least the 1920s and some ticket machines were vandalised.

The Three Ponds

There are three different ponds for swimming - one for men, one for women and one mixed. Only swimmers over eight years of age are allowed; those between eight and 15 years old must be in the care of an adult.


The men's pond had a diving tower but this was dismantled following an accident in the 1970s and only a low level board remains, along with showers and a small sunbathing/ changing area.



Winter swimming is usually possible at all three ponds, which remain very popular with users. The Corporation of London website publishes water quality tests. The three ponds are not to be confused with Parliament Hill Lido, built in 1938, now with a stainless steel lining.

Getting There

The Men's and Women's Ponds are located on the eastern side of the park, off Millfield Lane, London, N6. Bus Route 214 passes the end of Millfield Lane. Bus Route 210 also passes nearby - pick it up at either Golders Green or Archway tube station.

The nearest tube stations are Hampstead

Hampstead

Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...

, Highgate

Highgate

Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....

 or Archway (all on the Northern line

Northern Line

The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...

), but each require a 15-minute walk (through the park from Hampstead, or on the road from Highgate or Archway) or are better by bicycle.

The mixed bathing Pond is in the centre of the Heath, and is a 10-15 minute walk from Hampstead Heath railway station

Hampstead Heath railway station

Hampstead Heath railway station is in London on the North London Line, between and stations. Since 11 November 2007 it and the service there have been run by London Overground.The typical service at the station in trains per hour is:...

and several buses serving South End Green, at the junction of Pond Street and East Heath Road.

External links

• Diving at Highgate Ponds on the Lost Lidos website.