Sean Hawkins

That was inside. This was the only outdoor pool, and that was the thing in the summer. It was just so nice to come and swim your lengths or just sit down. I think quite a lot of people probably never swam here, just lay on one of their loungers and got brown.

That was inside. This was the only outdoor pool, and that was the thing in the summer. It was just so nice to come and swim your lengths or just sit down. I think quite a lot of people probably never swam here, just lay on one of their loungers and got brown.

I don't from any great distance. I think mostly local people and quite young people, I would think. Certainly the one person who I'm very close to and who used to come here when she was a girl describes it as somewhere she went in her lunch hour. So I don't think it was very expensive to bathe here. And it was quite pleasant and they apparently were allowed to bring their sandwiches.

I don't from any great distance. I think mostly local people and quite young people, I would think. Certainly the one person who I'm very close to and who used to come here when she was a girl describes it as somewhere she went in her lunch hour. So I don't think it was very expensive to bathe here. And it was quite pleasant and they apparently were allowed to bring their sandwiches.

I think that was right. They wanted a little bit of a leisure centre. And also, I think on the back of what they were offering here, it was an encouragement to the local council to grant them the right to... do the work they had to do. And this road that had to go in, Bancroft Road, didn't go through without quite a few problems.

I think that was right. They wanted a little bit of a leisure centre. And also, I think on the back of what they were offering here, it was an encouragement to the local council to grant them the right to... do the work they had to do. And this road that had to go in, Bancroft Road, didn't go through without quite a few problems.

There was one very old house which they pulled down, which was, in its day, quite frequently photographed, dating back to Elizabethan times, Cottage. And so local people were not totally in favour of it.

There was one very old house which they pulled down, which was, in its day, quite frequently photographed, dating back to Elizabethan times, Cottage. And so local people were not totally in favour of it.

No, no.

No, no.

Yes, I think the chap who had it didn't run it very well. And he had other cafes in Ryegate and in Redhill. And this was probably because it was just seasonal. Didn't do him a lot of good. Early 50s, it was gone. Tried to sell it. and wasn't successful. And when it says sell it, I'm not sure who actually owned the land.

Yes, I think the chap who had it didn't run it very well. And he had other cafes in Ryegate and in Redhill. And this was probably because it was just seasonal. Didn't do him a lot of good. Early 50s, it was gone. Tried to sell it. and wasn't successful. And when it says sell it, I'm not sure who actually owned the land.

I assume the Bancrofts did still, but that may not have been the case, because they partly sold out to Shipman and King, who were a large distributor of films, and they had cinemas all over Sussex and just a few in Surrey.

I assume the Bancrofts did still, but that may not have been the case, because they partly sold out to Shipman and King, who were a large distributor of films, and they had cinemas all over Sussex and just a few in Surrey.

Yes, yes. It is really quite a sight to see. It's certainly something that has not been explored. I think in a way it's almost too recent. We used to have a very good column in the local paper called At the Crossroads, and an old boy wrote this. And he'd wrote about almost every aspect, but he never ever wrote about... as far as I can find. I've read most of his columns.

Yes, yes. It is really quite a sight to see. It's certainly something that has not been explored. I think in a way it's almost too recent. We used to have a very good column in the local paper called At the Crossroads, and an old boy wrote this. And he'd wrote about almost every aspect, but he never ever wrote about... as far as I can find. I've read most of his columns.

Never wrote ever about the swimming pool, which is really odd.

Never wrote ever about the swimming pool, which is really odd.

It still surprises me slightly, this part of it, this ramp down into it. And I'm just wondering if this is later and that this is the edge of the pool here. there would have been no reason for a ramp like this. I think that's the base, obviously here, for the original swimming pool. So all this is additional, I think.

It still surprises me slightly, this part of it, this ramp down into it. And I'm just wondering if this is later and that this is the edge of the pool here. there would have been no reason for a ramp like this. I think that's the base, obviously here, for the original swimming pool. So all this is additional, I think.