Summer Holidays

Swimming Pool c1965
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Wow! I was taught to swim in the Woking Pool by my mum. I could be in this very photo but preferred the quieter sessions. My sister or friends and I would cycle there and take a Thermos of Bovril to warm us up after our swim. There was a chalkboard at the turnstile entrance warning us of the water temperature! The changing room lockers were locked and unlocked by very sun-burnished attendants, and we had to poke part of our clothing (a belt, or sleeve of a blouse) through the door grille to identify our locker. Oh! the numb fingers and chattering teeth as we waited! Some people took their clothes to the poolside, risking getting them soaked by their mates! I loved the smell of the chlorine wafting across the park as we approached, and can almost hear the wind in those trees. The 'wedding cake ' fountain was a great draw for those daring the wrath of the lifeguards. Although I had moved away by the time the pool was dismantled I was very sad to see it replaced by the ugly Pool in the Park.