London's largest outdoor pool was today preparing to host a weekend of free swimming-inspired activities to celebrate 100 years of serving the capital's communities.

This weekend, September 16 and 17, Tooting Bec Lido will open its turnstiles to the public for free swimming sessions, an art exhibition, a talk on the history of the pool and a tree planting ceremony.

The lido, which has been celebrating its centenary this summer, was the first open-air pool to be built on London County Council land.

Originally known as the Tooting Bathing Lake, the project was devised by the Reverend John Hendry Anderson, who was the rector of Tooting between 1897 and 1913, as a means of helping the unemployed.

The lido is almost twice the length of an Olympic pool and contains one million gallons of unheated water. ...more ---> ...

| Lido News | 12 September 2006; 12:35:14 PM |# | | |