Finchley Lido
Encyclopedia
Finchley Lido is a leisure complex at , just east of the suburb of North Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet
.
Currently there is a swimming pool and leisure centre, cinema, several food restaurants, bowling facilities and large amount of car parking spaces. Finchley Lido is extremely popular with the local population of Finchley
at weekends, as it is one of the only cinema complexes in this area of North London
.
Borough Council. The main heated pool opened in 17 September 1931 and stayed open until 11 November. The following year it was officially opened on 26 March, and on 22 April 1932 the Duke of York
(to become King George VI) unveiled a ceremonial wall tablet made of Staffordshire
marble
, which can be seen to this date. This tablet can now be seen on display behind the counter of Nando's
restaurant, which was built around the original site.
The main heated pool measured 165 ft (50.3 m) x 80 ft, depth ft 3 ins to 10 ft (3 m), with two fountains. This pool contained at most 456,250 gallons (1,727,094 litres) and had a diving stage of a similar design to Barking Lido, containing a 2 stage platform. Finchley Lido was the first swimming pool to introduce gay
nudist days and events, this was a pilot scheme which later introduced trials in Manchester
and other boroughs in London
. There has been strong objection from the local residents in a stance in the form of stopping their children from using the pool.
The whole site occupied 7 acres (28,328 m²), and there was a car park, with its own uniformed attendant (paid the equivalent of £3 per week in 1932). The main building also possessed a burglar alarm
from 1932. The car park was enlarged in 2004 when the original cinema
on the north side of the site was demolished following large scale flooding).
The site was originally purchased for a sum of £8.56 million by a local land owner, although it is now believed to be worth in excess of £23.2 million.
In 11 July 1971 the Lido had 11,962 visitors, this remains the record highest attendance in one day for a UK lido.
The site was not been ruled out for use within the 2012 Olympics to host international swimming events and also men's water polo
and water volleyball
.
It hosted the preliminaries to the water polo
competition for the 1948 Summer Olympics
.
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
.
Currently there is a swimming pool and leisure centre, cinema, several food restaurants, bowling facilities and large amount of car parking spaces. Finchley Lido is extremely popular with the local population of Finchley
Finchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
at weekends, as it is one of the only cinema complexes in this area of North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
.
History
The Finchley Open Air Pool was designed by P T Harrison, of fame from FinchleyFinchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
Borough Council. The main heated pool opened in 17 September 1931 and stayed open until 11 November. The following year it was officially opened on 26 March, and on 22 April 1932 the Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
(to become King George VI) unveiled a ceremonial wall tablet made of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, which can be seen to this date. This tablet can now be seen on display behind the counter of Nando's
Nando's
Nando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
restaurant, which was built around the original site.
The main heated pool measured 165 ft (50.3 m) x 80 ft, depth ft 3 ins to 10 ft (3 m), with two fountains. This pool contained at most 456,250 gallons (1,727,094 litres) and had a diving stage of a similar design to Barking Lido, containing a 2 stage platform. Finchley Lido was the first swimming pool to introduce gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
nudist days and events, this was a pilot scheme which later introduced trials in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and other boroughs in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There has been strong objection from the local residents in a stance in the form of stopping their children from using the pool.
The whole site occupied 7 acres (28,328 m²), and there was a car park, with its own uniformed attendant (paid the equivalent of £3 per week in 1932). The main building also possessed a burglar alarm
Burglar alarm
Burglar , alarms are systems designed to detect unauthorized entry into a building or area. They consist of an array of sensors, a control panel and alerting system, and interconnections...
from 1932. The car park was enlarged in 2004 when the original cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
on the north side of the site was demolished following large scale flooding).
The site was originally purchased for a sum of £8.56 million by a local land owner, although it is now believed to be worth in excess of £23.2 million.
In 11 July 1971 the Lido had 11,962 visitors, this remains the record highest attendance in one day for a UK lido.
The site was not been ruled out for use within the 2012 Olympics to host international swimming events and also men's water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and water volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.
It hosted the preliminaries to the water polo
Water polo at the 1948 Summer Olympics
-Medal summary:-Round One:In the first round each team in a group played each other team in the same group. The placings were determined on points. If the points were equal, then the better goal average decided...
competition for the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
.
Facilities
- Nando'sNando'sNando's is a casual dining restaurant group originating from South Africa with a Portuguese/Mozambican theme. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates in thirty countries on five continents....
- MacDonald's
- Swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
- Holiday InnHoliday InnHoliday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
- Vue CinemaVue (cinema)Vue Entertainment , formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats, including the rebranded...
- Pizza HutPizza HutPizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
- Hollywood BowlHollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
- CafeCaféA café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
External links
- Finchley Lido on Greenwich Leisure website
- Listing page for the cinema