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Gabriel's Wharf
The Lido is one of London's few remaining outdoor pools offering open air swimming and sun bathing to the people of Brixton, Herne Hill, Norwood and Tulse Hill, plus many from further a field, through the summer months. The Lido buildings, located within Brockwell Park, provide a peaceful environment for yoga, meditation, tai chi and pre-school children's activities all year round. Such facilities are not available elsewhere in south London. Brockwell Lido was built by the London County Council in 1937 for all the community. It is one of the few community resources that has never dated and still represents a sanctuary right in the heart of the city. It still has a magic that no indoor or covered pool could ever offer. When Lambeth Council pulled the plug on it in 1994, the Brockwell Lido in South London was rescued and run by Paddy Castledine and his partner, Casey McGlue. When the sun shines all is well. Last weekend, 5,000 visited. But Brockwell rarely breaks even, unless there�s a spectacularly hot summer. The pair had to be entrepreneurial, even sealing a �100,000-a-year sponsorship deal with Evian, whose logo is painted on the bottom of the pool. After a final bail-out to get it through the last summer, Lambeth has just signed a 25-year contract with Fusion, a not-for-profit sports group, which has promised local enthusiasts like the Brockwell Lido Users Group that it will invest �2.25 million to upgrade the newly grade II-listed pool.
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