Surbiton Lagoon
Encyclopedia
Surbiton Lagoon is a defunct and demolished open air swimming pool
that was located in Berrylands
, in London
, United Kingdom
.
It opened in May 1934 though had been open for business since April, and was situated in Raeburn Avenue in what was then the Surbiton Urban District
of Surrey
. It was situated on the 418 bus route of London Country Buses, and near to Berrylands railway station
.
The lagoon complex was designed by the architect
HT Mather. The pool had a maximum depth of 9 feet (2.7 m) and a minimum depth of 3 foot (0.9144 m). It was 165 ft (50.3 m) x 90 ft (27.4 m) - a huge pool by any standards. The lagoon was closed permanently in 1980.
and featured many displays of swimming, including an appearance by Miss Ivy Hawke, the successful 1928 channel swimmer. A water polo match was held, and the festivities went on into the evening.
, and in front the whitewashed entrance with fittings picked out in bright blue paint.
As visitors entered the pool complex through a turnstile
they were greeted by an ornamental fountain.
The pool had a full set of diving boards, both springboard
s and diving platforms
at the deep end, and a simple tall slide. At the shallow end was a smaller slide suitable for children. Entry to the water was down a set of submerged stairs, an unusual design feature.
Along the right hand side of the pool was a set of sun terraces, concrete broad stairs with wooden boards on top. There was a lagoon café, and an ice cream booth. Separate ladies' and gentlemen's changing facilities, each with a children's section. Ladies' facilities were on the left and gentlemen's were straight ahead, past the deep end.
The pool was surrounded by a paved area, with the paving at the edge of the pool somewhat rough, making climbing out of the water without using the stairs an exfoliating experience. Though the water was heated, it was always a bracing experience to get in.
The lagoon had a holiday camp
carefree atmosphere:
The tennis courts are now covered by a housing estate, the lagoon itself has been landscaped. The site was 20 acre
s, and the development cost was £18,000 in 1934.
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
that was located in Berrylands
Berrylands
Berrylands is a residential neighbourhood in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames only 24 minutes from Waterloo by train in south west London, that before 1965 formed part of the Municipal Borough of Surbiton. It is a suburban development situated south west of Charing...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It opened in May 1934 though had been open for business since April, and was situated in Raeburn Avenue in what was then the Surbiton Urban District
Municipal Borough of Surbiton
Surbiton was a local government district in north east Surrey, United Kingdom from 1855 to 1965.Until 1855 Surbiton was administered as part of the parish of Kingston upon Thames. In that year a body of improvement commissioners was formed by a local act of parliament to govern the area...
of Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. It was situated on the 418 bus route of London Country Buses, and near to Berrylands railway station
Berrylands railway station
Berrylands railway station is a national rail train station in the borough of Kingston upon Thames, London.-Location:Berrylands railway station, operated by South West Trains, is on the South Western Main Line. Normally only Hampton Court Branch trains serve it, but in service disruptions Guildford...
.
The lagoon complex was designed by the architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
HT Mather. The pool had a maximum depth of 9 feet (2.7 m) and a minimum depth of 3 foot (0.9144 m). It was 165 ft (50.3 m) x 90 ft (27.4 m) - a huge pool by any standards. The lagoon was closed permanently in 1980.
Opening day
The opening ceremony was performed on a Wednesday evening in May 1934 by Mr. H.S. Durbin JPMagistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and featured many displays of swimming, including an appearance by Miss Ivy Hawke, the successful 1928 channel swimmer. A water polo match was held, and the festivities went on into the evening.
The Lagoon
The Lagoon was approached along a grass lined entrance drive, much like the housing estate in the picture of the site today. On the left was a small stream, a tributary to the HogsmillHogsmill
The Hogsmill River in Surrey is one of the tributaries of the River Thames; it rises in Ewell and flows into the Thames at Kingston upon Thames on the reach above Teddington Lock.-Course:...
, and in front the whitewashed entrance with fittings picked out in bright blue paint.
As visitors entered the pool complex through a turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
they were greeted by an ornamental fountain.
The pool had a full set of diving boards, both springboard
Springboard
A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type....
s and diving platforms
Diving platforms
A diving platform or diving tower is a type of structure used for competitive diving.They consist of a vertical rigid "tower" with one or more horizontal platforms extending out over a deep pool of water. In platform diving, the diver jumps from a high stationary surface...
at the deep end, and a simple tall slide. At the shallow end was a smaller slide suitable for children. Entry to the water was down a set of submerged stairs, an unusual design feature.
Along the right hand side of the pool was a set of sun terraces, concrete broad stairs with wooden boards on top. There was a lagoon café, and an ice cream booth. Separate ladies' and gentlemen's changing facilities, each with a children's section. Ladies' facilities were on the left and gentlemen's were straight ahead, past the deep end.
The pool was surrounded by a paved area, with the paving at the edge of the pool somewhat rough, making climbing out of the water without using the stairs an exfoliating experience. Though the water was heated, it was always a bracing experience to get in.
The lagoon had a holiday camp
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
carefree atmosphere:
"Surbiton Lagoon was an awesome place the be in the summer in the 70's. The moment you got through the turnstiles and saw that big fountain you could feel the excitement. It had huge terraces where you could sunbathe all day, the pool was massive with a really deep, deep end, the girls looked great in their bikinis. BaywatchBaywatchBaywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
in Berrylands. I know lets knock it down and build another really boring housing development on it. Yeah, that's much better. Not! Massive, massive shame it was closed down. A shame on Kingston council. I feel it is sorely missed!"
JTait New Malden
The tennis courts are now covered by a housing estate, the lagoon itself has been landscaped. The site was 20 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s, and the development cost was £18,000 in 1934.
External links
- Surbiton Lagoon - brief history
- Surbiton Lagoon photographs
- Surbiton Lagoon, Rayburn Ave (sic), Surbiton (SLN93) - Museum of London Archaeology Service