Make a Splash in Summer 2024: 5 Best London Swimming Pools

Summer is here and apart from some odd days, sun should warm the city of London. There’s no better way to relax and enjoy the season than by taking a refreshing dip in one of London’s many fantastic swimming pools. Whether you’re really into your swimming and looking for a good workout, or a family wants to splash around for fun, London’s swimming pools offer a variety of options. So, here are the best 5 London Swimming Pools for Summer that we recommend.

Tooting Bec Lido

If you live in southwest London, it is very unlikely you.ve never heard of Tooting Bec Lido. It’s in London borough of Wandsworth and was built in 1906 in 4 months, it is one of Britain’s oldest open-air swimming pools. Originally known as Tooting Bathing Lake, the pool was designed partly as a communal bath because back then very few homes had their own bathrooms.

It’s not a heated pool but, water is treated with chlorine. Because of its huge size which is just over 91 meters in length and 30 meters wide (measured in yards 100 x 33), it has a lot of space during hot summer days for both lane swimming and leisure. It also has a paddling pool. It was recently opened up after a few months of closure with new back-end systems. During hot days, you must go to Tooting bec Lido, with pre-booked tickets to avoid any disappointments.

Brockwell Lido

Located in London borough of Lambeth and close to Brockwell Park (close to Brixton and Hern Hill), Brockwell Lido was built in 1937 and has a 50-meter outdoor swimming pool. Again, water is treated but, not heated so, it’s only nice on hot days unless you like to swim in cold water. Since it’s opening, it has been shut (1990-1994) and re-opened again with gym facility added. You can get in by paying for a each visit if you don’t want to sign to a membership plan.

It has a cafe as well open to users.

Just be mindful that, although it hosted the London County Council Swimming Championships every year for 22 years, it was from 1947 to 1968. The pool is really an old pool.

Pools on the Park

These pools are situated in Richmond, London, and was originally built in 19th century. They used to be known as Richmond Baths. In 1966, the current pools replaced the previous Richmond baths nearby which had been built in Parkshot in 1882. It is a listed building. The current setup includes an indoor 33.3-metre (109 ft) pool a teaching pool, and an open-air outdoor pool. Timed sessions are available for public swimming.

Marshall Street Baths

If you fancy something very elegant with a bit of history and elegance, why not go and visit this pool bang in Soho of London. Built in 1931 but, restored in 2010. It has a glorious barrel-vaulted roof. It is now operated by a leisure operator (Everyone Active) so, you can get in touch with them to find out how you can use the pool.

London Aquatics Centre

If there was only one place that you could fit in your busy summer schedule this holiday season. But, picking this option from our recommended 5 best London swimming pools this summer. The beautiful London Aquatics Centre, was built for London 2012 Olympic Games. After the Olympics, it has been running as a place for public swimming, lane swimming and swimming lessons. It hosts all sorts of aquatics competitions too. It has a 50-meter pool a diving pool, gym, and it is just an iconic place to visit. Some memberships enable accessing the pool but, contact London Aquatics Centre directly to see if and how public swimming booking without purchasing a membership is possible.

If you are interested in taking lessons over the summer 2024 in southwest London, please contact us.

All the information in this blog was checked and updated in July 2024.