What year was this built? and what year was it closed and filled in? This photo unknown to me became a Dr. Barnardo post card and only found out when it came up for sale on EBay.

They say that every picture tells a story this photo was taken in the hot summer of 1960. The story so far: my sister who was asked by her matrons sister to get some boys and girls so her daughter can have the photo taken with some Dr Barnardo Children. To me the girl stands out like a sore thumb, she is sitting on the second diving board up, in the middle, the one with the nice hair do and a plaster cast on her left arm. The boys are all from Henry Mountain Cottage, from the top John Mercury, Stephen Kirby, Ivan Rob then myself. My sister Diane is sitting on the top board, third girl from the end. You may have noticed that all the children have a S badge showing except me, mine had been removed by my Matron so I could not go in the deep end due to having an infection in one of my ears. I got into trouble for being on the diving board and was not allowed to go swimming for two weeks as I had in her words betrayed her trust that I would not go in the deep end, as far as I was concerned I had kept my word I was at not in the deep end.

The photo also shows the water tower of the laundry, this was the village green depth away from Horn Road. So it was quite clear to all people travelling by car or foot what home they were passing.

This was one place were the locals would all try and sneak in on the hot summer days. The pool had ice cold water and the swimming pool had the mixed smell of chlorine and the creosoted changing cubicles.

Mary Godfrey who was at Barkingside 1954 to 1964 sent an email:

The photo taken on the diving board at the village pool includes Me!! I am the only one with my clothes on !!

I was about 10 years old at the time and I remember being called out of the changing rooms to have a photo taken of the Village swimmers of which I was one. We used to give swimming and diving displays to raise funds for a filter plant to clean the pool so that it wouldn't have to be closed for cleaning so often.

That swimming pool was my life at that time, (when not on Punishment "miss your swimming" ) I spent most of my time in it in all weathers and it was not heated as you will remember.

AS I recall the swimming Pool had been damaged in the War, this I was told when I was new to the Village at age 6 I think the year was 1954 when it was being repaired.

In 1967 the Guild Messenger Magazine reported the swimming pool being refilled for the summer, it noted that a filtration system had been installed so it would not be closed during the summer months as it did in our days each month for two or three days. The bad news, the pool is as cold as ever.

Ed Note: Thanks for information but I was never in any swimming club at Barkingside, neither was my sister. Just to let you know my sister believes the girl with her cloths on is her old matrons relative. How time plays tricks with our memories.

The truth about the bomb hitting the swimming pool is as near the truth as a V1 hitting one of the cottages. When the village was evacuated the pool was emptied, which in turn caused the pool base to be pushed out of the ground and causing it to break-up. In the six years it was empty a tree had started to grow from the centre of the pool.

The land the pool was sited was known as the Scotch Coast. While I'm sure of the reason can anybody put their memories forward.

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