Swimming pools & swimmers

Hi Wimero Like most kids who went to Stoke Junior, I learned to swim at Gosford pool, spent a lot of summers there either swimming or sunbathing on the terrace, jumping off the diving boards and eyeing up the boys, one very famous day, my sister dived in and lost the top of her bikini, there was a mass jump in of boys volunteering to retrieve it, simple fun, and the water was always warmer in the rain, the cafe was popular when it was open, always a popular place.

Hi Covgirl, I sometimes enjoyed a cup of oxo served from the café there. Best wishes to you.

Hi all, I know it wasn't really a swimming pool, but does anyone remember the paddling pool on the Binley Rd by Stoke Park? I spent many a happy hour there as a child, and once had to be dragged back home just before dark as I was having so much fun, the grass area was great to eat our sarnies, and an ice cream van came by too, once a rag and bone man left his horse & cart at the water trough outside and a car backfired frightening the horse which took off, last seen heading for Gosford Green. I don't know if it is still there, I know they closed it when there was a polio scare, so much fun, all for free.

Hello covgirl, I remember a paddling pool along the Binley Road somewhere. My grandmother lived around that part of the city and I have a vague memory of being taken there a few times as a treat. Times were hard. They had to be, if a highlight of the year was to be walking around in several inches of water. Nowadays, that is called 'flooding'. My recollection is of model yachts being sailed upon it. I always wanted a model yacht. I don't know why, because they just seemed to tip over as soon as any wind blew, but it was the idea of owning a yacht, I guess. I'm writing this from the Marina at Monte Carlo, so 'mission accomplished', as far as I'm concerned. (kidding!) 'Health and Safety' was less important back then. I can recall once that I was minding my own business, kicking a football around on Gosford Green. Suddenly, this loose horse galloped by. Scared the life out of me.

Photos here and here

I learnt to swim at Livingstone Road Baths. Same rules as everyone else. You had to swim the length in order to be deemed proficient. It took me two days, I think, but I made it, eventually. Obviously, that is why it was called the front crawl. Swimming was another of those 'essentail life skills' that we all supposedly needed. I haven't swum for about forty years. That degree of regularity hardly meets the criteria of 'essential', does it? I don't know what they imagined we were going to do with our lives. We were in the middle of England. We hardly had the sea crashing in onto our doorsteps, did we? Where I am now in my life, I'd have got more benefit from using that time for the contemplation of pension planning. I did, however, learn that chlorine makes my eyes and nose run. I wasn't alone. I still, to this day, have an image of sharing the Livingstone Road swimmimg pool with a boy who was in dire need of a waterproof handkerchief. And the water was so cold. Everything shrivelled on contact. Some used to jump or dive in. I chose the steps, so that I could gradually adjust to the freezing temperatures. That moment when the water laps over the swimming trunks. Now, running up sliippery steps was an essential life skill, in my book. I think they had to employ an ice breaker to go up and down the pool before opening time. The only exception was the swimmimg baths at Leamimgton. That was civilised. Nice and warm. I didn't object to floating around in there for a few hours pretending to swim. The only problem with that is 'crinkle skin'. Which made me realise that we are a land mammal, who has no need of a duffle bag.

I remember being taken to Gosford Pool when I was a young lad, would have been late 50s/early 60s. We would go occasionally on a hot summer day. I seem to recall there was a main pool and a children's pool but memories are a bit vague. My father first came to Coventry in the mid-30s for work and eventually worked at the GEC for about 45 years. However, before that his first job in Coventry was as a lifeguard at Gosford Pool in about 1935. The strange thing about this is that, even though he lived to be 95, he never learned to swim in all those years.

About 50-50 I would say, Dreamtime. They had those long poles to hook you out, plus lifebelts. Life guards will apparently only get wet as a last resort anyway. My first wife was a life guard at Coventry Baths for several years in the 80s and never had to dive in to save anyone, but at least she was a strong swimmer and fully trained. Clearly the entry requirements were not as stringent in the 30s.

My learning to swim experience was not a happy one at Livingstone baths. It was either sink or swim at the end of a rope with a lady at the other end hauling you along. Heaven help you if she was gas bagging to the lady pulling some other poor soul in in the next lane. It was the 'sinking' part I was concerned about. That was in the middle 50's , thank goodness the system changed as my son is a strong swimmer and took to the water like a fish.

Hi Primrose, Yes I was a tad scared at the time, I only went for a couple of sessions as I spent more time under the water than actually looking where I was going, also felt a right ninny grappling and swinging at the end of the rope and was so relieved when I got to the end of the lane. A marathon swimmer I WILL NEVER BE!!! I have to admit these days I only go in up to my knees and even then I got dumped one day as the sand was drawn from under my feet and over I went. I have come to the conclusion if I was meant to swim I would have been born a fish - and probably a Flounder (a demersal fish found at the bottom of the ocean around the world)

Perhaps I was lucky. My swimming lessons were happy occasions. We started with holding the rail and kicking our legs while horizontal. When we were confident with that next step was tucking feet under the rails and flaying our arms to keep afloat. One easy step progressed to another easy step until we were all confident in the water. This was about 1946, no ropes then. I always remember the faggot batches we bought from a shop near the General Wolfe that we ate while waiting for the Longford bus.

Dreamtime, I bet you looked good as a ninny, haven't heard that word for seventy years, made me lol when I read it. Yet it was used everyday when we were kids and for everything you did. Hey I swam the fastest I've ever swam on Cottesloe Beach, not the porpoise and the whale, Kaga and the fear of sharks. Crocodiles, sharks, jellyfish, no wonder Australia has good swimmers, by the way both my grandsons were lifeguards on said beach. Please don't knock the 'Livi' or the Gosford, had great times at both, losing bikini tops, we didn't dive in to help find, think we dived in to stop it being found, lol. Swimming is the only time I know of that takes the air pressure and gravity of your body, and I sincerely believe that swimming added years to mine and enabled me to reach 88 years of age, and still plodding on. p.s. Or maybe you have a better answer?

Pity Saltdean Lido isn't open for you, Kaga