London's oldest swimming pool will be demolished

[2005]

Forest Hill swimming baths will be knocked down soon, I just read in the Mercury that Lewisham council have no choice but to scrap plans to refurbish123 year old building. I live right behind the building and the back of it is something I have enjoyed looking at since I can remember. I was born in my bedroom and have gone past and looked that place, quite literally, all my life. It may not be a building of any importance to people on here but my eyes are waterd for a reason, it's part of community that I love and it will be hard to see it go, still, it is for the better.

I leanrt to swim in the pool.


It doesn't really end in tears as a new one will be built and the Library was refurbished, a stunning listed building that's over 100 years old.



and we've still got horniman museum.

[Comdot]

ok i appreciate you like it (who wouldn't) but what's the story behind the demo and can anything be done about it?

[jayo]

what a bunch of fuckers :/

[wjfox]

Very bad decision by the council. Yet another example of putting money before heritage. They have "no choice" but to demolish it? ... what BS.

I live 10 minutes walk from there btw and was using the pools until they were shut last year.

[Comdot]

is this what happens when the council owns something? it all goes to fuck?

[wjfox]

Those photos don't really do the building justice btw... it looks nicer and more impressive in real life.

[Beholder]

It's sad when buildings that old are demolished...

Last summer the oldest swimming pool in The Hague was 125 years old. Celebration partypictures shown below:



[/QUOTE]

Sad but true...

Any chance that the London pool can be saved by turning it in a theater or something similar?

[Comdot]

oh my goodness. what is it with swimmingpools and theatures that makes them so attractive to knock down?? there was a theatre in bolton or somewhere that got knocked down despite being pretty special.

[2005]

Lewisham's mayor, Sir Steve Bullock

"I am disappointed because it is a fantastic building. We did a public consultation in 2005 and found opinion evenly balanced. Some people wanted it kept whilst others just want a new a pool. I was left with a decision and decided to have the building refurbished. At the time were mainly concerned with the roo, joints and beams which were serious problems with. Now there are very serious problems with the pools themselveswhich are to such an extent that experts are sayingthe degree of risk in going ahead with the refurbishment is such that we can't do it. The cost would be unknown and even if we get a figure , there are no guaranteesthe costs won't rise while we are doing the work. No responsible person in my role would take that risk"

The last line seems like rubbish but it's true, we have to remember that this will be payed by the tax payers money, so you need something that will stay around the estimated value of the project.

He went onto say "Back in the mid 90s the council spent a small amount to extend the life of the building for ten years, which it did. But that didn't deal with any of the long term problems resulting from the age of the building" He also says "I'm expecting to take the first swim in the new pool during the summer of 2010."

I remember that ten year exstension of life, it was a farce, they extended the length of the pool by a 1 metre, added new changing rooms which were just plastic crappy doors and seperation boards for people to change but they did get rid of a huge cockroach infestation, which was horrible, I remember doing the backstroke along roaches, it was reank.

There are two pools at Forest Hill, the other was used for that robot compition show on the BBC back 2000, I can never remember the name of it but it was filmed at the Dome apart from the water robots which was at Forest Hill. I remember one robot was a skeleton that could climb up ropes. Anyone remember the name of the show?

[2005]

Originally Posted by wjfox

Those photos don't really do the building justice btw... it looks nicer and more impressive in real life.

So true, I want to take a dip in the pool right now. I remember there was a time when I went for a swim in the pool every day after lessons at the sixth form in Forest Hill School, I would look foreword to them, now I can't anymore Then again I would most probably sink because of the boozing in Warrington and London

[dronkula]

I take it the new pool is going to be built on the same site (which is why they have to knock this one down?)

You know, it's strange to think that a lot of these sort of buildings (ex-swimming pools, ex-banks, ex-cinemas/theatres) are 'saved' nowadays by being converted into Bars. When I was last in Forest Hill (about 4 or 5 years ago) the old cinema there (which had been closed for quite a while) had just been converted into a Wetherspoons.

[NothingBetterToDo]

Anything that keeps them standing is excellent as far as i'm concerned. And if it allows people to use them, and be economically viable at the same time then all the better.

[2005]

It still is a Whetherspoons and, to be honest, I like it that way, it's cheap and a great place to watch the football and most importantly of all meet up with friends and a lot better than when it was falling apart and boarded up. Still, what you say is true, us Brits are a bunch of piss heads.

[Officer Dibble]

I think 2005's attitude is the right one and the doomsayers are going a bit over the top. It's sad to see a nice old building go, but it's not the Taj Mahal, and sometimes replacing something decent but obsolete with something new is the right decision (I'm sure we can all think of higher-profile examples in the City). The local council is right to point out that preserving the building at disproportionate cost would not be a responsible use of taxpayers' money.

[Octoman]

This sort of thing just makes me sick. I used to pass through the forest hill area quite frequently and was always struck by the quality of the buildings. Driving round the south circular its a real gem compared to some of the other grotty areas I passed through. To knock this down is just ridiculous and I have no doubt that the replacement will not be an improvement. Lets face it, if they dont have the funds to refurbish the old building then they are hardly going to have a lot to spend on the new one.
I am increasingly thinking that local authorities should not be trusted with our architectural heritage. They just screw it up time and time again.

[Comdot]

Originally Posted by Officer Dibble

I think 2005's attitude is the right one and the doomsayers are going a bit over the top. It's sad to see a nice old building go, but it's not the Taj Mahal, and sometimes replacing something decent but obsolete with something new is the right decision (I'm sure we can all think of higher-profile examples in the City). The local council is right to point out that preserving the building at disproportionate cost would not be a responsible use of taxpayers' money.

i dissagree fully. it's a victorian building (or thereabouts) and no it's not the taj mahal but you can bet it has more merit than what would replace it. like i say, this is what you get from your councils- objection to tall buildings yet they can't even keep their own friggin' building stock in order.

[Comdot]

2005, i hope you get a group of your local buddies and strangers to oppose this, when the council apply for permission to demolish it. good luck!

griff rhys jones where are you matey???

[Officer Dibble]

Originally Posted by Comdot

i dissagree fully. it's a victorian building (or thereabouts) and no it's not the taj mahal but you can bet it has more merit than what would replace it. like i say, this is what you get from your councils- objection to tall buildings yet they can't even keep their own friggin' building stock in order.

Comes down to how remarkable/good/important the building is. Looks nothing special to me - that's a subjective judgement of course, but I assume EH agree, otherwise it'd be listed and not under threat.

[Comdot]

looks like one of those buildings that is a few years off becoming a listed building. i would actually be surprised if it wasn't listed. if the council had bothered to maintain it properly it would look immaculate. there's a similar (slightly grander) building in manchester that the NHS own and they just let plants grow out of it all over the place which will one day come back and bite them in the rear when they have to replace the brickwork. either that or it will give them an excuse to level the place.

[Hoogbouwman]

They refurbished the Zuiderbad in Amsterdam in the 1990s. Can't believe that just taking these kind of buildings down is the only way out!!

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuiderbad