Tooting Lido has reopened!

The Tooting Lido really is an iconic part of our London landscape and, in fact, the landscape of the UK. That’s because it’s the largest open-air, fresh water swimming pool in the whole of the country and every year over 100,000 people make the most of its cold water. So when it closed in 2023 it was a sad day for a lot of people… But it closed for good reason.

£4 million worth of refurbishment has gone a long way at this cherished pool, so we headed down to meet with Will from the South London Swimming Club (a club that has been running since 1906!) to check out all of the improvements… after a very cold morning dip. We started off at the new pump house, which we were amazed by. The engines are almost jet-like in their efficiency and pump around 1 million gallons of water to and from the pool every day. They filter the water using a really fine sand which means that the water is crystal clear.

There are a few more external changes including a new pool lining, new paving stones around the pool and a fresh lick of paint. We really loved how the original artwork was incorporated in with the new murals by artist Rob Lowe. It was obviously cleverly considered and was a nostalgic nod to the long history of the lido. Just those few things have really elevated whole place and it feels so much fresher than it did when we last visited.

But that’s not all because the club have big plans for the rest of the lido: more changing rooms, poolside warm showers and café that will also serve walkers on the Common… The improvements to the lido are going to keep on coming. If you want to come and check out the changes for yourself then head over on Saturday 27th at 11am for a coral celebration for their official reopening and a chance to see the future plans!