Parliament Hill Lido

The lido was opened on 20 August 1938. The lido was designed by Harry Rowbotham and T. L. Smithson (London County Council Parks Department) and is nearly identical in design to Victoria Park Lido and Brockwell Lido. There was a diving stage, chutes and a café, with areas for sunbathing and spectators. Costing £34,000 to construct, this was the most expensive of the then London County Council's 13 lidos built in the 1920–39 period. In 1976, after the murder of 15-year-old Enrico Sidoli, further safety measures were taken, including removing most of the diving facilities and increasing staff. The last diving board was removed in 2003.The murder of Enrico Sidoli by drowning has never been…

This unheated pool is 200 x and is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation, who also own the whole of Hampstead Heath. The lido is open for the summer season from mid May to mid September. From September to April it is open from 7am to 12 noon for early morning swims only, one of only three unheated winter swimming venues in London, the others being Brockwell Lido in Herne Hill and Tooting Bec Lido. Another swimming venue, the Highgate Ponds are a short walk away. There is a users' group for the lido (and the ponds), the United Swimmers' Association of Hampstead Heath.