From July 20th, you can dip your toes in Beckenham Place Park’s lovingly restored swimming lake.
🚨Update: this lake is temporarily closed. 🚨
Summer’s here, and the time is right for a dip in the waters of London. So we’re welcoming the news that Lewisham is getting a charming new spot in which to bathe. The Georgian swimming lake at the heart of Beckenham Place Park has undergone a full restoration to bring it back to life, and from July 20th, you’ll be able to grab your cozzie and dive on in.
See also: Nine more cracking wild swimming spots near London.
The restored lake will be a haven for anyone who loves wild swimming (also popular in the Serpentine), or just wants to get up close with the ducks. In reality, the lake is 219 years old, but having been filled in sometime in the interim, 2019 sees it restored to its heyday.
The £4.9 million project, with a £440,000 grant from City Hall, has regenerated various parts of the park, including the children’s play areas, BMX track, skate park, and enhancing the nature reserve and a new wet woodland area. The lake itself is 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres – and whilst swimming is the top priority, it’ll also be opening for kayaking and other watersports, although presumably they’ll have measure in place to prevent swimmers getting clonked on the head by oars.
Handily, lifeguards and changing rooms will be on hand in the summer, and the water quality will be tested each week to ensure its purity. The only downside is there will be a price to pay – £3 for adults, £2 for concessions, £10 for families – but swimmers will need to book in advance online and pay electronically when they pitch up. The little beach area will be free for those just looking to paddle, though.
Presumably it’ll tempt the weather into producing a summer heatwave, so head down to Beckenham Place Park for a dip!
Until the swimming lake arrives, check out our guide to London lidos for the best places to swim.
Featured image: @mounia_chaoul