More photos of the wonderful Bathing Pool holiday camp – St Leonards-on-Sea

 

All photos © Hastings Public Library

Lin Wood… I worked in that snack bar with Danni.

Kat Wood… Lin, really, when was that? I worked in the gift shop the last couple of years it was open! Loved that place. There was a guy called Ken running the cafe when I was there, but remember Carrington

Dawn Mann… My sister Tina and I worked in the cafe which was run by Dennis.

Bev Pearce Smith… What’s there now please ?

Gary Benton… Bev, all that is left now is the low wall that surrounds the Princess bar terrace that you can see in the picture. My parents had interests in the business. I was pretty much brought up there.

Linda O’leary… My mum used to take me there when I was 5

Catherine Ireland… We called it Bo-Peep ?

Judy Atkinson… Catherine, that’s a nearby pub

Kurt Helge… Been there in 1966 and 1967

Judy Atkinson… I once jumped off the high diving board

Mike Waghorne… I once climbed to the top of that high board looked down & froze ! It was a long way down for a 10 year old to look at, swimming over that deep 15ft water made my stomach felt strange !

Judy Atkinson… Mike, to be fair, that middle section was always a very uninviting murky green colour and you couldn’t see the bottom.

Paul Coleman… I can remember jumping off of that top one. Nearly s..t myself! Went up n did it again tho. Lol.

Ray Barry… I remember the bathing pool very well, not sure exactly how old I was when I used to go there 12,13 something like that, and we would jump off the the top diving board and try to touch the the bottom, 17ft deep I seem to recall.

Pete Grange… we lived in Seaside Road, so was in there a lot.

Ian Maclean… Pre 60s I think, as no chalets around the top. The Holiday camp owned by Councillor Withers appeared towards the mid 60s. The council said it didn’t make money, when it let him take it over. I suppose all those people got in for nothing !

Lawrence Finch… I went there to see a friend who worked in the café/bar many times.. a really nice, old fashioned friendly place. Shame it had to close really, must have been financial I suppose.

Shirley Tabrett… I was a cleaner there weekends and school holidays, with my friends

Liz Bourn… Ian, yes, late 50’s early 60’s. We lost a great asset when it was sold off and turned into a holiday camp. The far end  was blocked off and silly children’s things were constructed. This fabulous pool used to have fabulous international galas, the pool was 110 yards long if I remember correctly . Does anyone remember the crazy stunt diving displays? Wobbler Cooper? Roller skating round the top before chalets were built? Now it’s a patch of grass which HBC want to build on. DESECRATION.

Ian Maclean… Wobbler Cooper was a swimming club member/ water polo player, a cheerful ruddy faced man popular with everybody. I , was part of the diving competition. And display team at the galas, but the fantastic shows you refer to were by the Roy Fransen Aqua show, riding bikes off of the 10 metre board plus really daring antics culminating in Peg leg, a one legged chap diving from the top of a large pair of steps on the top board into a flaming water surface. Then of course the firework display to finish with. Days I will always remember. A cynical view is the galas took a lot of business away from some councillors town centre business’s, so it had to go.

Mark Atter… Had some great times in the school summer holidays

Theresa Lorenzo-Gray… Fantastic memories of our bathing pool…sad it went

Nick Silk… I played Squash there!

Dorothy Matthews… Nothing there now, it was a crying shame it was taken away. Whoever decided it was no longer needed, was an idiot. Didn’t want to spend any money on it, rather waste money on stupid ideas that lined there own pockets. Not good for people of Hastings and St Leonard’s they didn’t count

Rene Burgess… Remember it well. Great times there with family and friends

Liz Bourn… photo 4 The nets are down – must have been a water polo match.

Dulcie Phillips… I remember it when it was still open to the public as a superb swimming facility .Also great roller skating. Fab. So sad it couldn’t be kept.

Neil Mitchell… I remember the air locks, spent the summer of 83 and 84 down the there

Adrian Bulgaria… Nearly died there. Thankfully a friend dived in the deep end and saved me,thanks Ian. Still remember sinking down, that was 40 years ago I think.

Richard Neve… Used to play squash in my lunch breaks here

Jayne Rogers… Good grief, packed!!

Johnny Greenhalf… It was nearly always packed out in the summer, even surprisingly sheltered in spring and autumn.

Judith Bereton… I worked there as a member of the entertainments team in 1968. I remember the army swimming team using the pool to practise for the channel swimming record.

 

Tich Turner’s Escalator – line up, Bathing Pool St Leonards-on-Sea

supplied by Rick Pentecost

Rick Pentecost, Tich Turner, Andy Caine, Steve ‘Vince’ Price, Steve Demetri and Paul Thomas

Graham Matthews… Still got their single Diana / Don’t really want you back again, it stands the test of time.

Pete Prescott… Great band !

Willie Wicking… Great Memories at those country Gigs

Ken Copsey… Tommy!

Kev Towner… Yeah, I’ve still got a copy of it too.

Stewart Rockett… *Andy Cunningham. Andy didn’t Caine it until later.

Roger Carey… Cracking picture- what a line up!

White Rock Baths and Bathing Pool Hastings & St Leonards-on-Sea signatures of swimmers 1957.

Supplied by Lynda Caine

Lynda Caine… mum has given me this. All the people who have signed there names are people from Hastings who used the pool they would all been teenagers then who used the White Rock Baths and bathing pool.

Alan Esdaile… Do you recognise any names?

Chris Baker… Sadly, not one! Mind you, I almost never went except with the school

Graham Sherrington… I remember No Cut Off Jeans!!! the bleach in the water or something with the dye in the jeans.

Nick Warren… Ian MacLean was later the one string box base player with the Fieldstone Boys, before Danny O’Farrell, and he is still around going strong

Chris Chandler… Nick, had lunch with him today!

Nick Warren… Chris, lovely guy

Graham Sherrington… Derek Fitten 5th down on the left?? my sister and Derek where swimmers the GIBB and GABB trophies

David Bastable… I presume that was Brenda?

Graham Sherrington… yes sir

Colin Harmer… A few years younger than Derek Fitten but spent many happy hours training and swimming with him at Bathing Pool and White Rock Baths. He was a ‘larger than life’ character.

Ray Barry… I remember Ginger Powell I think breaststroke was main stroke. Derek Fitton what a guy he was the main man of the Flip Flop display team.

David Bastable… That is amazing!! Thank you So many people I knew and swam with I wonder where they are now. The names I know and swam with are Ian Maclean Tom Mather Ginger Powell Derek Fitton Dick Lingham John Gambrill David Bastable which is me!

Ian Maclean… The Roy Fransen aqua show was a tremendous display of high board crazy diving by very talented divers. Riding bicycles off of the 10 metre board, double dives etc. culminating in Pegleg, a one legged chap,diving from the top of a long step ladder into fire on the water. There were also poolside antics involving the public and the Ducking chair, log rolling displays etc. culminating in a fantastic firework display. Never forgotten, and never to be repeated sadly. I remember all of the names, still in touch with some of them.

Paul Knight… Learned to swim at the White Rock Baths in the late 50s whilst at school

Lynda Caine… (In reply to Dave Bastable ) Mum Pat (Bubbles) at 81 now is living in Dover she has had a busy life as a landlady of quite a few pubs from Hastings to Dorset and then finally retiring but there’s one place what remains in her heart, is growing up in Hastings as she saids in her own words, those were the days.

David Bastable… It was the swimming club trip to Guernsey when I was twelve years old to compete against the local club that led me to move there some forty years ago. I remember Bubbles very well Lynda

Lynda Caine… Dave, yes mum had said you had moved to Guernsey she’s so pleased to hear your comments ,great memories .

Lynda Caine… (in reply to Ian MacLean ) Mum is over the moon to hear your comment and the mention of Dawn after all these years, as she has said great times growing up in Hastings, good friends remembering them always.

David Bastable… Your mum is in the photo I just posted next to Tom Mather

Lynda Caine… Yes mum said thank you Dave as your photo is nice and clear .

 

 

The Victors – Bathing Pool/Hastings Holiday Camp St Leonards-on-Sea 1964

supplied by Stewart Grimes

Barrie Russell (drums), Richard Gagen (vocals and guitar), Roy Sanderson (lead guitar). Stewart Grimes (bass guitar).

Paul Coleman… Roy Sanderson? That’s not the Roy Sanderson who played bass (I think) in the band – “Unabridged Telephone Directory” in the late 60’s is it? Played a few times in the club under the Regent Hotel.

Stewart Grimes… Paul, he certainly certainly did!

Paul Coleman… Stewart, any more details on Roy? I used to work with him at “Drallims” in Bexhill.

Stuart Moir… Peter Shaw has seen him recently when Roy visited Bexhill, he can tell you a bit more if you get in touch, he’s on Facebook so look him up.

Carol… Barrie Russell was my first boyfriend from 1963 to 1965. Does anyone know what happened to him?

Dolphin Jazzband – The Bathing Pool 1960

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Andre Palfrey-martin collection

supplied by Ian Hargraves… Reunion 2011  Bourbon St Parade, Brian Towers, Peter Treger, Geoff Coates.

Andy Knight…..Geoff encouraged me to take up trombone (short lived) with Sussex Brass, last saw him about 1972, can anyone name the complete line-up here. I think he ran the Caves gigs with Roy Martin I did with Shaft in the early 70’s

Paul Hobbs… First time since the mid 60’s Great stuff. But please remind me who was playing what. Remember Peter, went to school with his brother, Remember Geoff on vocals but the other are lost in my distant memory.