‘Londoners have been swimming in the ponds free of charge for a very, very long time’

• THE City of London Corporation claim that the reason for their decision, earlier this year, to enforce compulsory charges for bathing in the ponds on Hampstead Heath was that they can no longer afford to subsidise them.

A search through the archives shows that Londoners have been swimming in those ponds free of charge for a very, very long time – at least since the middle of the 19th century.

But it is likely people began swimming in them soon after they were first constructed as reservoirs, over a century before.

There has been a lifeguarding service for a very, very long time too, even prior to the Hampstead Heath Act of 1871, whereby the heath was declared common land “always kept unenclosed”.

Lifeguarding services were continued after 1871 and then extended by the London County Council (LCC) who had taken over management of the heath, in addition to many of London’s other open spaces.

In 1889, the LCC opened the Men’s Pond with new changing facilities and a diving board. Did the LCC enforce charges to cover the costs for all that work? No! On the contrary, they actively encouraged Londoners to come along for the free swim.

One could argue that for centuries those ponds served as London’s urban beach. And consider this, when you visit one of the popular seaside resorts, you certainly do not expect to have to pay for a swim, though there is invariably a lifeguarding service.

The City of London, disrespectful of the historic legacy, are pushing the ponds down the slippery slope of commercialisation. Will the ponds degenerate into an exclusive spa for a well-to-do elite?

The City is a powerful institution. Moreover, local authorities, politicians, and others whom we might expect to be concerned about free access to open spaces, evidently lack the spirit of their 19th-century counterparts.

Nevertheless, surely it is important, especially for fellow swimmers, that we acknowledge why we have the ponds in the first place. We have them only because people before us struggled hard for them. And it was a long struggle!

It may take another long struggle to restore those rights. But it will be worth it.

GEOFF GOSS
Former Chair of Highgate Men’s Pond Association (2012-2018)
Torriano Avenue, NW5