Happy Memories of Finchley Lido

6 FEBRUARY 2012 THE ARCHER - www.the-archer.co.uk Happy memories of Finchley Lido Trevor Williams, who used to run Williams Sports in North Finchley and Finchley Central, reads THE ARCHER regularly, even though he’s now retired and living in Ringwood, Hampshire. He saw our article on Finchley Lido in June’s issue and wrote in with his memories of sunny days by the pool in the 1940s. My early memories include number of youths were con- the occasion I was actually gregating, either posing or allowed to slide down the waiting to pluck up the cour- chute in the children’s pool age to jump. Several times all on my own, and later to the tannoy requested that all sit in the wonderful Art Deco non-swimmers and divers must fountains. When I was about vacate the diving boards, and 12, I’d learnt to swim (taught some did. After the third warn- by a Mr Cavanagh at the old ing, another message came Squires Lane Pool, now a block over: “…and would that little The Market Place, East Finchley. The Andrew Forsyth Collection. of flats) and progressed to the boy in the blue trunks also adult pool. come off the boards!” Well, I remember the rather that did it. I marched straight Time-travelling by archaic changing rooms, or to the edge of the board and rather cabins, and obligatory performed my very first swal- cold showers before entering low dive from the top of the the water. At least that helped 10m platform. postcard to take away the sudden shock From then on I was hooked By Ann Bronkhorst of the cold water in the main on diving, and the only swim- In the 19th and early 20th centuries, we were a nation of postcard-buyers. With few pool. The children’s pool was ming I did was to swim to get people owning cameras, commercial photographers recorded even the unremarkable always warmer, being shallow, out ready for the next dive. streets of East Finchley and the resulting postcards were very popular. and heated up quicker. Then, alas, some berk in the Luckily for us, Andrew For- information about each slide, crowds at Finchley Lido in 1976 I was also a bit of a gymnast, council decided to remove all syth left his large collection of and some in the audience shared with happy recognition. so it was not long before I was the diving boards, and that was postcards to the Finchley Soci- vivid personal memories. We The Andrew Forsyth Collec- jumping and diving off the 1m the very last time I ever went ety. In a talk last year, at Martin were too young to remember tion can be viewed at Avenue springboard; then I ventured in the water at the Lido. School, Finchley Society Chair- the notorious bare-fist fight- House, East End Road, by up to the 5m springboard and A few years later I was man David Smith showed slides ing at The Five Bells, or Lord arrangement with Maggie jumped. That was really great heavily involved in youth chosen from the Forsyth collec- George Sanger’s final proces- Ferguson, Archive Manager fun. One August afternoon I work. As President of Barnet’s tion to an enthralled audience. sion with an uncaged lion, but for the Finchley Society, on ventured right up to the top Council of Youth (in conjunc- many of us greeted the slide of 020 8349 4283. of the 10m platform where a tion with Eric Burton, Barnet A lost landscape Youth Officer) we organised The earliest photographs th a grand barbecue with music dated from the late 19 cen- and dancing on the grass area, tury and revealed a largely rural and a soft drinks bar, and a few landscape and a barely recog- Fifty years on in East End Road By Lorna Roberts aqua activities for those brave nisable village. Fields stretched We have lived at 191 East End Road, East Finchley since freezing February 1962 and wonder enough to jump in the pool. A south towards Hampstead, great time was had by all, and Creighton Avenue was a new how many of our readers share our memories or will share the changes in their own patch. No 193 East End Road was one of a row of four cottages in a little lane. At the end of it was an annual event for sev- road cut through ancient wood- eral years. land, Oak Lane was exactly that this lane, still called East End Road, was a row of three more cottages. Do you remember the glory and Victorian children played In one, with a long garden teria that, since it was planted Why have they removed those days of Finchley Lido or do at ‘The old pond’ (near East in front, lived Mr Tommy who in the 1890s, has captivated lovely little bells? you have any other memories of End Road) while sheep safely kept rabbits. Next to him was passers-by with its beauty and A little further afield {in life in East Finchley? Write to grazed nearby. the Ginn family and the last one perfume. In 1961, the next four the High Road} was the us at [email protected] Some long-demolished had a family of three grown lads cottages were demolished and Conrad Lewis foam rubber or The Archer, PO Box 3699, buildings have left us their who had a huge white van. houses were built, ours and 189. shop, where now stands the London N2 8JA. names (The Grange and Elm- Alongside Mr Tommy’s there Next to that was a forge where Santander bank. He was such a hurst), but of others there is were allotments, always busy. horses came on Saturday morn- lovely man, always helpful. We no trace. It was good to see Next to them was a path to ings, to be shod. This went in could buy mattresses so cheaply again the Black Bess tavern, Stanley Road and the large about 1968 and became a carpet then and he always had a good Hear to Help the Causeway cottages, the Holmfield Garage. Every warehouse run by Mr Bowers, suggestion about anything else Are you having trouble Congregational church and, a afternoon, my mother would who later opened a carpet shop one wanted. I still have a small with your hearing aid? Is more recent loss, Alder school, go through it to Stanley Road in the High Road, now a restau- offcut he gave me to use as a that little gadget which demolished after its pupils over the railway bridge to the rant {the Cochin}. Now the old needle and pin cushion. One day should help you to hear were absorbed into Christ’s factory of the Merry Miller. forge is a keep fit studio, whence he retired, and told me of the doing just the opposite? Is College. All the broken or not perfect tired people emerge, look- cruise holiday he and his wife it driving you mad, have Lido days biscuits and cakes were on sale ing pleased with themselves. had planned. A year or two later, you stopped trying to use Gradually, the trolley cheaply at a little window and When we arrived, 193 was I chanced upon him sitting on a it, or are you just getting buses and milk carts from our back would come my mother occupied by Malcolm and bench in Kenwood. We greeted with something lovely for the Peggy Kemp and they told us, each other. “And how was your by with it but maybe not own Manor Farm dairy were getting its full benefits? replaced by more modern children’s tea. For all of us when THEY first arrived in the holiday?” I asked. “We never One thing is certain: you are vehicles, and recognisable around, the all-day smell of early 1940s, a shepherd drove went. My wife died suddenly, not alone. This is why a free street scenes appeared. David baking was mouth-watering. his flock, morning and evening, the day before we were due to local service has set up clinics invited us to supplement his No 193 has a massive wis- along by the Five Bells pub. go …” at Age UK Barnet. Hear to Help aims to assist adult hearing aid users to get the best out of their Holy Trinity Church East Finchley Baptist Church aids. Church Lane, East Finchley Just off the High Road in Creighton Avenue N2 Clinics are held from 1pm Church of England to 3pm on the last Thursday of Sunday Mornings at 10.30 am the month at the Ann Owens We're a warm and friendly congregation Centre, in Oak Lane, N2. who look forward to welcoming you For more information There are also clinics on the Sunday Parish Communion at 10.00 am please contact the Church Office first Friday of the month at Children's Sunday Club Meet over coffee after church Tel: 8883 1544 (Minister: Simon Dyke) the Meritage Centre, Hendon. Michael Stanway is happy to answer any enquiries: To find out more, contact Gil Tel: 020 8346 8591 Vamben on 020 8369 5325 or www.holytrinityeastfinchley.org.uk Visitors always welcome 07423 430383..

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