The Open Air Swimming Baths In Charles Crescent

A Memory of Harrow on the Hill.

I was never a keen swimmer and my school's compulsory trips to the open air pool in Charles Crescent did nothing to encourage me! Every week in Summer Terms an ancient double decker bus would arrive at Pinner Grammar School to take groups of us to the pool. This began in the First Form (1956/57) and continued for years. This was timetabled as a "double period" of P.E. and allowed an hour and ten minutes for the short drive down Village Way through Rayners Lane towards North Harrow and 15 minutes later the bus would pull up by the pool.

I remember there was a chalked notice board by the turnstile advertising the water temperature. We peered through the grimy bus windows and groaned when we caught sight of the notice - no matter what it might say a great chorus would go up "its freezing today!".

A bit of research reminds me that the pool was opened in 1923 on some "left over land" on a new council housing estate, and cost around £10,000. It was 165 by 75 ft, depth was 3’6” - 7’ (i.e. too deep for non swimming children and too shallow for serious diving!). The few able swimmers were allowed to enjoy the deep end while the rest of us shivered in the shallow end holding on to the pool edge and listening to the instructions of our P.E. teachers about confidence in the water. We didn't have much time in the pool and I was always glad to get out and get changed in the cubicles around the pool edge - which were also freezing!

The pool closed after the 1980 season and the site is now covered by residential developments. I remember the lovely grassy banks around the edge of the pool where just occasionally if you were quick to get changed you could spend a few minutes sitting in the sunshine before being shepherded back on the bus to school.