Swimming Pool c1955, Surbiton
Swimming Pool c1955, Surbiton Ref: S231002
Memories of Swimming Pool c1955, Surbiton
Art Deco in Berrylands
Like many local children I spent most of my summers at this pool and on very hot days visitors came from all over south London. There were paved terraces to lie on, a cafe for refreshments, and a childrens' paddling pool. In the grounds outside were two tennis courts, which were well-used by the locals. It was a perfect example of Deco architecture but was closed in the 1970s. Oddly, the area of the pool itself was not built on and was incorporated into the surrounding "Open Space" which leads to Berrylands Station, although the area of the tennis courts became a cul-de-sac of houses. A small stream, called the Hogsmill, ran beside the area of land on which this complex stood and through the public Open Space. Presumably this is the reason that the there has been no more development.
Surbiton Lagoon in The Fifties
I remember walking to this pool, Surbiton Lagoon, from New Malden. In those days our costume would be rolled in your towel, tucked under our arm and off we would go. No grown ups to escort us. No backpacks or holdalls in those days for us, just my purse for coins. I remember the metal lockers and how the grass always got muddy where wet feet ran. The lovely fountain and the terraces where mainly teenagers laid sunbathing. I also belonged to Surbiton Lagoon Swimming Club which was held each week at the Coronation Baths in Kingston (also long since demolished). Was there a club night at the Lagoon in the summer? If so I did not go. It seems a shame that so many outdoor pools have disappeared. How many are struggling for survival still?
Surbiton Lagoon
I just loved Surbiton Lagoon. Me and my twin sister lived in Alexandra Drive, just around the corner and we were good friends with the manager's son Vaughan Hancock. In the scorching hot summer of 1976 we were 14. My mum worked at the Lagoon so we got in free. We spent all the summer holidays there and 'bagged' our sun bathing spot on the stairs at the 5ft marker. This is because me, my twin (Nicola) and our girlfriends were all in love with the hunky life guard called Paul who sat in the high seat there. To this day I can recall assistant manager, Alan Ridley (who incidently became a teacher at Tolworth Girls) shouting 'Get our of the cascade!' over the public address system. We were also in a sit com which was filmed there. It was called 'The Secret Life of Edgar Briggs' starring David Jason! John Pertwee, aka Dr Who, attended at a RNLI fundraiser . He arrived in a flourish in... Read more
Surbiton & local memories
Read and share memories of Surbiton and Surrey inspired by Frith photos.
Surbiton
I meant to say 2nd World War, not the 1st !!
Mount Nelson
I'm interested in King Charles Road because my grandparents lived there in a house named 'Mount Nelson' (is it still there I wonder?). My mother was born there in 1904 and then the family moved to a new house( around 1935 I believe) in Woodlands Rd, Surbiton. During the lst World War I stayed for 4 years with my grandparents as it was safer than being in London where my parents were. Actually Surbiton wasn't all that safe and I can remember the doodle-bugs crashing around almost every day during 1944. My friend lived in South Bank and I used to cycle over almost every day in the school holidays to see her. It was quite a way from Woodlands Rd, but nobody seemed to worry - how unlike these days!
Growing up in Brighton Road
I remember my happy childhood in Brighton Road so well. We lived at 114, heading toward the Portsmouth road. My grandfather had built the house. It lay back from the road.
Mr and Mrs Harper ran the paper shop that had a telephone cubicle in it.
There was a shop next to the Black Lion that sold lemonade for a penny a glass. My friend Susan Dunford lived further down the road, we would wander and play and it always seemed very hot in the summer. We went to the pictures on Saturday mornings, Sunday School in the afternoon, afternoon tea at Packhams, the lovely proper post office. I went to Hazlewood School, I had to go over Surbiton station to get there, one day I was told off ... little ladies do not whistle in their school uniforms. I moved from Surbiton when I was eight, but I think that because my father was born there, it really is the only place that holds my roots.
Grandmother's Flat Above The Shops
My family's house, just off the Kingston Bypass (now known as the A3) in Tolworth, was damaged as the result of enemy action in September 1940 and my parents and I stayed for a while with my grandmother in Surbiton. Her flat was on the first floor at the far corner above the shops on the left of the photo, just before the Odeon Cinema which lay slightly back from the building line. One of my enduring childhood memories is of kneeling at the window of her sitting room and watching the trolleybuses attempt to turn the very sharp corner from St Mark's Hill into Claremont Road without their two poles leaving the overhead electified wires. The crossover points of these wires (which allowed some trolleys to turn into and out of Victoria Road as well - presumably the main cause of this problem) can be seen clearly in this photo. After a shower of sparks and two wildly bouncing poles, the trolleybus would grind to a halt and hold... Read more
