Nice weather for a swim (From Bucks Free Press)
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Nice weather for a swim
6:53pm Thursday 2nd July 2009
We certainly are enjoying some fine weather at the moment. As I walked around the town centre today on my regular lunchtime walk I paused in the grounds of the Parish Church to rest on a bench in the shade of a tree.
Taking my handkerchief from my pocket I mopped my brow before tucking into my sandwiches. All around people were relaxing in the sun although some people looked as if they were struggling to cope with the high temperatures.
My mind flashed back to my recent visit to the Rye during which I happened to see the Holywell Mead swimming pool. Sadly the doors were closed and the pool had been drained.
As I walked around the abandoned pool lots of people were coming up to the railings and peering through. Even though not in use the pool was attracting a great deal of attention.
Opened on the 1st June 1957 and built to a 1930’s design the pool is a credit to the town. It was the only public swimming pool in Wycombe until 1975 when the Handy Cross complex was opened.
I managed to find a gap in the fence and got a glimpse of the swimming area. Sadly weeds were growing between the paving stones and the pool, devoid of water, looked a sorry sight. It made me feel very angry.
For the sake of a few thousand pounds of our Council Tax money that pool could be open today and people of all ages could be enjoying themselves cooling off in the current sweltering temperatures.
How can such a marvellous facility simply be closed in such a way especially when public money has been spent keeping it open all these years? To close it now is simply a waste of all the public money already spent over the past 52 years.
I wonder what will happen to the pool?
The pool is built on the site of a roman villa which was last seen in the 1930’s. After searching the internet I found some pictures from the archaeological excavation that took place in 1932.
All that remains of the villa are some mosaic floors and the foundations of the walls. The remains are not that impressive and I doubt if they would be a tourist attraction if the pool was knocked down and the mosaics exposed.
When you consider all the money being wasted on feasibility studies into building unnecessary sports stadiums the few thousand pounds that were required to keep the pool open would have been money well spent.
I do hope the Holywell Mead swimming pool re-opens soon. When it does I may even get out my inflatable armbands and go for a swim there myself.
What do you think?
Comments(60)
j_guasu
says...
7:19pm Thu 2 Jul 09
And I'm sure the idea of encountering a hippo such as yourself in a swimming costume, wallowing in that rat-infested pool, would be enough to encourage anyone to steer clear should it ever be reopened.
ivor
says...
8:09pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Yes, such a small sum of money is required to keep the pool open that it could surely be found.
Perhaps a public/private partnership or even selling advertising space would do the trick. But alas, no, it seems the pool had to close while other projects were given the green light even if they did not serve the community in such a direct of beneficial way.
ivor
says...
8:11pm Thu 2 Jul 09
There are lots of people who would like to use that pool at the current time due to the hot weather. We have paid our Council Tax so why can’t we had a dip in the pool.
I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Swimming would give the unfit of the district like myself some good exercise and may even help to get us fit again. Sadly we are destined to remain unfit and have out lives cut short thanks to the cost cutting measures of the powers the be.
j_guasu
says...
8:20pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Well there's another pool at Handy Cross, so you could quite easily go up there if you actually gave a monkey's about getting fit.
Re the comments of j_guasu at 7:19pm
There are lots of people who would like to use that pool at the current time due to the hot weather. We have paid our Council Tax so why can’t we had a dip in the pool.
I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Swimming would give the unfit of the district like myself some good exercise and may even help to get us fit again. Sadly we are destined to remain unfit and have out lives cut short thanks to the cost cutting measures of the powers the be.
ivor
says...
8:22pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Surely it is nicer to swim in the open air in the hot temperatures we are experiencing at the minute?
OllieNewbury
says...
8:24pm Thu 2 Jul 09
j_guasu wrote:I don't think Ivor's trusty car would make it up Marlow Hill, and with his IWD it's too far to walk!
ivor wrote:Well there's another pool at Handy Cross, so you could quite easily go up there if you actually gave a monkey's about getting fit.
Re the comments of j_guasu at 7:19pm
There are lots of people who would like to use that pool at the current time due to the hot weather. We have paid our Council Tax so why can’t we had a dip in the pool.
I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Swimming would give the unfit of the district like myself some good exercise and may even help to get us fit again. Sadly we are destined to remain unfit and have out lives cut short thanks to the cost cutting measures of the powers the be.
But that is a good point. If you want to get fit Ivor, there is a huge pool at Handy Cross, plus pools in Slough, Maidenhead and Amersham.
But I'd still like Holywell Mead to re-open.
smiley cat
says...
8:37pm Thu 2 Jul 09
There is a campaign and a working group to save the pool already.
The Wycombe idiot is just jumping on the bandwagon in a very pathetic attempt to take some credit.
Great sad fool...
OllieNewbury
says...
8:42pm Thu 2 Jul 09
smiley cat wrote:No doubt Ivor thinks this blog will publicise the campaign a great deal.
Just so we are all aware...
There is a campaign and a working group to save the pool already.
The Wycombe idiot is just jumping on the bandwagon in a very pathetic attempt to take some credit.
Great sad fool...
Of course the powers that be are reading this as we speak...
smiley cat
says...
8:44pm Thu 2 Jul 09
OllieNewbury wrote:Well of course - in his sad way he will think he has saved the pool.
smiley cat wrote: Just so we are all aware... There is a campaign and a working group to save the pool already. The Wycombe idiot is just jumping on the bandwagon in a very pathetic attempt to take some credit. Great sad fool...No doubt Ivor thinks this blog will publicise the campaign a great deal. Of course the powers that be are reading this as we speak...
The tw at.
ivor
says...
8:51pm Thu 2 Jul 09
My trusty car is more than capable of making it up Marlow Hill! Buy as you say Handy Cross is rather out of the way.
Indeed I too would like to see Holywell Mead reopened.
ivor
says...
8:51pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Yes, I am aware of the campaign underway to save the Holywell Mead pool. I do not wish to detract from the marvellous campaign that is currently being mounted indeed they have my full support.
If I can raise awareness of the plight of the marvellous open air pool then surely that is a good thing?
ivor
says...
8:51pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Yes, you have got it in one!
Surely any publicity is a good thing? As you say I have a sneaky feeling that the powers that be will read this blog and you never know they may even change their minds as a result.
ivor
says...
8:52pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Well, you never know. If there was to be an announcement following the publication of my blog saying that the pool was to be re-opened under the control of the powers that be then surely that would be good news?
smiley cat
says...
9:02pm Thu 2 Jul 09
I couldn't care less either way.
smiley cat
says...
9:04pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:GROW UP and learn some humility.
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 8:42pm Yes, you have got it in one! Surely any publicity is a good thing? As you say I have a sneaky feeling that the powers that be will read this blog and you never know they may even change their minds as a result.
STOP trying to take credit for other people's endeavours.
ivor
says...
9:07pm Thu 2 Jul 09
But surely you must agree that it would be nice to have an open air swimming pool in the town?
ivor
says...
9:07pm Thu 2 Jul 09
No. I would not want to take any credit from the valiant efforts of those who already have a campaign in motion.
brachyura
says...
9:12pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Especially as I had just read Steve Cohen's "In the Editors Chair" piece in the South Bucks Star (2 July 2009).
Melanie1
says...
9:19pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:You can help what you look like in a swimming costume!
Re the comments of j_guasu at 7:19pm There are lots of people who would like to use that pool at the current time due to the hot weather. We have paid our Council Tax so why can’t we had a dip in the pool. I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Swimming would give the unfit of the district like myself some good exercise and may even help to get us fit again. Sadly we are destined to remain unfit and have out lives cut short thanks to the cost cutting measures of the powers the be.
If you stopped stuffing your face at every given moment that would be a start!
If you reduced the amount of food that you ate within a year you'd probably have saved enough to finance the re-opening of the pool on your own...
brachyura
says...
9:22pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:It is interesting that you are so angry about the pool even though you do not use it, especially as you seem to use the argument that lots of people want to use it (even if you don't).
Re the comments of j_guasu at 7:19pm There are lots of people who would like to use that pool at the current time due to the hot weather. We have paid our Council Tax so why can’t we had a dip in the pool. I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Swimming would give the unfit of the district like myself some good exercise and may even help to get us fit again. Sadly we are destined to remain unfit and have out lives cut short thanks to the cost cutting measures of the powers the be.
Of course this same argument could be used for Eden and the Stadium, although you do not seem to care much about the large number of people that want to use these facilities.
You constantly go on about people not being interested in the history of Wycombe, yet appear to dismiss the Roman Villa (obviously not the same as a historic concrete 60's building).
You come up with an excuse for not going to the pool at Handy Cross, in fact the only time you seemed to want to go was the week they closed it (giving you something to whine about).
You ask "What do you think?"
I think you are a sad little man who just likes to complain, someone who appears to have done nothing with their life but just content to run down others. I expect the people commenting on this blog are the closest thing to friends you have......
ivor
says...
9:24pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Indeed I can’t help what I look like in a swimming costume. Look on the bright side, if I was to turn up the sight of my stomach hanging over the top of my swimming trunks would probably scare everyone away so I could have the whole pool to myself!
Being so large makes me hungry. Being overweight is a catch 22 situation.
I dread to think what my yearly food bill is but I suppose it would go a significant way towards financing the pool!
ivor
says...
9:27pm Thu 2 Jul 09
But the pool is part of the history of the town. It is a non-commercial venture that provides a great deal of entertainment to a lot of people while helping to keep them fit at the same time.
The new stadium and the complex are both unnecessary. We simply did not need them.
As for the Roam Villa, well, it is good because it is part of the history of the town but the remains are not that spectacular. It is a building that has gone unlike the concrete masterpieces in the brutalist style that grace our town centre today.
I asked what you thought on keeping the pool open and not what you think about me!
Actually I have quite a few friends.
Plus ça change...
says...
9:34pm Thu 2 Jul 09
1957 - so the Roman villa 'has it' by a long Chiltern chalk...
Maybe WDC should get 'Time Team' in to do a proper job?
What little ancient heritage we have we should value & keep.
OllieNewbury
says...
9:34pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:More crap. Only you Ivor would like to see Wycombe become a dump again.
Re the comments of brachyura at 9:22pm
But the pool is part of the history of the town. It is a non-commercial venture that provides a great deal of entertainment to a lot of people while helping to keep them fit at the same time.
The new stadium and the complex are both unnecessary. We simply did not need them.
As for the Roam Villa, well, it is good because it is part of the history of the town but the remains are not that spectacular. It is a building that has gone unlike the concrete masterpieces in the brutalist style that grace our town centre today.
I asked what you thought on keeping the pool open and not what you think about me!
Actually I have quite a few friends.
Did you see what the WDC future developments leaflet described the 1960s architecture as?
Are these your 'friends' who all call Eden the complex and agree with your every word?
ivor
says...
9:39pm Thu 2 Jul 09
But could we lose the marvellous 1957 building just so we can see a few ancient ruins?
I do not like Time Team. How can you do a historic site justice in just three days?
ivor
says...
9:39pm Thu 2 Jul 09
The future developments leaflet was just a pile of rubbish as far as I am concerned hence my blog on the subject. Tell what it described the marvellous brutalist 1960’s structures as.
My friends have beliefs that a broadly in line with my own so yes, indeed if you ask anyone where the complex is they will know what you mean and give you directions.
Plus ça change...
says...
9:46pm Thu 2 Jul 09
'... lots of people were coming up to the railings ...'
All those people that did not figure in your pics of the Rye the other day and that do not figure in your photos here...
A fantasy encounter with aliems?
I suspect it could be all those journalists you sent out on a mission last August - that we never heard of again - and they have somehow returned to earth and are being drawn to Wycombe's Roman villa!
Up the villa!
Plus ça change...
says...
9:47pm Thu 2 Jul 09
'aliems' = Bucks word for 'aliens'...
Plus ça change...
says...
9:55pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:
Re the comments of Plus ça change... at 9:34pm But could we lose the marvellous 1957 building just so we can see a few ancient ruins? I do not like Time Team. How can you do a historic site justice in just three days?
Or maybe some aspiring archaeologists at the Uni could serve WDC just as effectively.
Nil desperandum when it comes to our villa!
Plus ça change...
says...
9:58pm Thu 2 Jul 09
You mopped your brow with a sandwich?
Yeuch!
Up the villa...!
ivor
says...
10:02pm Thu 2 Jul 09
As I said I waited for the right time before taking the picture so a not to include anyone else in the picture. I believe the technical term is “the decisive moment” as defined by Cartier Bresson. Photography is a hobby of mine….
Believe me, the villa is not that spectacular. It would be a shame to lose the marvellous swimming pool just to see a pile of rubble.
ivor
says...
10:02pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Perhaps they could employ some of the road menders who deal with the potholes rather than archaeologists?
OllieNewbury
says...
10:03pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Ugly.
Re the comment s of OllieNewbury at 9:34pm
The future developments leaflet was just a pile of rubbish as far as I am concerned hence my blog on the subject. Tell what it described the marvellous brutalist 1960’s structures as.
My friends have beliefs that a broadly in line with my own so yes, indeed if you ask anyone where the complex is they will know what you mean and give you directions.
I have never ever heard anyone call it the complex. If your friends really do exist and agree with you, at least one would come on here anonymously and say so.
Until one of them does, I don't believe you.
ivor
says...
10:03pm Thu 2 Jul 09
No, I mopped my brow with my handkerchief then I ate my sandwiches!
ivor
says...
10:06pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Of course the powers that be do not like the marvellous 1960’s buildings as they show the modern rubbish up. I therefore would not expect them to speak favourable of such magnificent buildings.
Well you will just have to believe me. My friends are rather shy but you never know one of them may come on here and use the proper Wycombe words for the new shopping centre.
OllieNewbury
says...
10:11pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Ivor, you can find an excuse for everything.
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 10:03pm
Of course the powers that be do not like the marvellous 1960’s buildings as they show the modern rubbish up. I therefore would not expect them to speak favourable of such magnificent buildings.
Well you will just have to believe me. My friends are rather shy but you never know one of them may come on here and use the proper Wycombe words for the new shopping centre.
So, WDC is against 1960s srchitcture because it shows up modern buildings. I've never heard such crap.
Your second paragraph is also rubbish. Your friends could easily write a letter or comment here using a false name. I am shy, yet I do it.
You have an answer for everything, don't you?
ivor
says...
10:14pm Thu 2 Jul 09
But the proper buildings of the 60’s do shoe up the modern rubbish!
No. I do not have an answer for everything. If I did I would have found the answer to getting the Holywell Mead pool re-opened.
OllieNewbury
says...
10:26pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Can one building shoe up another? Do buildings wear shoes?
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 10:11pm
But the proper buildings of the 60’s do shoe up the modern rubbish!
No. I do not have an answer for everything. If I did I would have found the answer to getting the Holywell Mead pool re-opened.
Ignoring your childish spelling mistake, the 60s buildings do not show up the modern ones at all.
ivor
says...
10:29pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Oh dear, another spelling mistake. It’s been a long and tiring day indeed I have already nodded off once this evening sitting at my computer.
Well I am glad to hear that you think the 60’s buildings do not show up modern ones. This means that you must agree that modern buildings and those of the 60’s can exist together in a town.
OllieNewbury
says...
10:37pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Check your post before submitting it. That's what I do.
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 10:26pm
Oh dear, another spelling mistake. It’s been a long and tiring day indeed I have already nodded off once this evening sitting at my computer.
Well I am glad to hear that you think the 60’s buildings do not show up modern ones. This means that you must agree that modern buildings and those of the 60’s can exist together in a town.
Some 60s buildings can exist together with modern ones. I don't deny that.
ivor
says...
10:41pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Yes, I guess it was my fault letting the spelling mistake go out but my eyes are shutting after such a hard day at work. Tired men make mistakes….
I just don’t know why people are so against 60’s buildings. I know they may seem a little out of date but that’s no reason to knock them down. I will shortly be writing a blog on the best 60’s buildings in Bucks and I am sure it will prove to be a very interesting read.
smiley cat
says...
10:47pm Thu 2 Jul 09
ivor wrote:oh please don't let us keep you up...
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 10:26pm Oh dear, another spelling mistake. It’s been a long and tiring day indeed I have already nodded off once this evening sitting at my computer. Well I am glad to hear that you think the 60’s buildings do not show up modern ones. This means that you must agree that modern buildings and those of the 60’s can exist together in a town.
ivor
says...
11:48pm Thu 2 Jul 09
No. It’s no trouble but the combination of the hot weather and a hard day puts its toll on me.
J B Blackett
says...
12:59am Fri 3 Jul 09
10:02pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Perhaps they could employ some of the road menders who deal with the potholes rather than archaeologists?
Ivor -
I think you will find that most archaeologists' careers and job prospects are in ruins nowadays.
Regards
ivor
says...
1:01am Fri 3 Jul 09
Yes, a very witty comment! I fear that a lot of people have a career in ruins these days!
Thank you for your valued coment.
Plus ça change...
says...
8:50am Fri 3 Jul 09
You mopped your brow with a sandwich, then ate the handkerchief...?
It gets worse!
I bet what we know about the Roman villa is just the tip of the iceberg... and I don't mean lettuce.
Looking forward to the Serengeti blog!!
ivor
says...
3:46pm Sat 4 Jul 09
No! I mopped my brow with a handkerchief and ate a sandwich! I fear you are trying to be silly….
Well, we know that the roman villa is just a pile of rubble under the ground. I think the Holywell Mead pool is far better and more useful to the community.
Plus ça change...
says...
4:56pm Sat 4 Jul 09
Almost by definition most archaeological finds are now likely to be 'piles of rubble under the ground'....
Nature of the beast.
However, Wycombe appears to have little in this way.
What little we have we should cherish & make available to current and future generations.
Our current legacy appears to be the following:
'Well, er, there was a sort of Roman thing somewhere on the Rye. Bits of it can be seen cemented into some old building there. Er, well, I think it was there or thereabouts... ish. Nobody really cares a Bucks parrot about it, to be honest. What's on telly?'
s/w
Et tu, Brute...?
OllieNewbury
says...
5:24pm Sat 4 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Ew! You ate your handkerchief! I know you get really hungry, but that's disgusting.
Re the comments of Plus ça change... at 8:50am
No! I mopped my brow with a handkerchief and ate a sandwich! I fear you are trying to be silly….
Well, we know that the roman villa is just a pile of rubble under the ground. I think the Holywell Mead pool is far better and more useful to the community.
Take an apple next time!
ivor
says...
8:03pm Sat 4 Jul 09
How will unearthing the roman villa serve the community? Would you not prefer to see hundreds of youngsters swimming in the pool and having a good time?
ivor
says...
8:05pm Sat 4 Jul 09
Indeed I go get very hungry as with most people of my size but so far I have restrained from eating parts of my clothing. Although over the years I have come to regret using the saying that ends with “…. or I’ll eat my hat!”.
smiley cat
says...
10:28pm Sat 4 Jul 09
ivor wrote:LOL Well there hasn't been up to now - hence why the pool closed.
Re the comments of Plus ça change... at 4:56pm How will unearthing the roman villa serve the community? Would you not prefer to see hundreds of youngsters swimming in the pool and having a good time?
Idiot.
ivor
says...
11:12pm Sat 4 Jul 09
If there was a drop inn umbers why not launch an advertising campaign? There was no need to close the place!
OllieNewbury
says...
11:53pm Sat 4 Jul 09
It's so hypocritical for a luddite to be using the internet...
ivor
says...
1:10am Sun 5 Jul 09
Of course I will answer the comment kindly left by the readers on my other blogs.
I have been busy preparing my next blog hence the delay in responding.
OllieNewbury
says...
1:53am Sun 5 Jul 09
ivor wrote:Oh come on! One of these blogs must take about half an hour to prepare! You have to upload 4 photographs and write a small passage. That's it.
Re the comments of OllieNewbury at 11:53pm
Of course I will answer the comment kindly left by the readers on my other blogs.
I have been busy preparing my next blog hence the delay in responding.
Are you telling me that takes all day?!
ivor
says...
1:58am Sun 5 Jul 09
These blogs don’t just happen you know! They take hours of preparation and require multiple skills to get them just right.
kenickie
says...
12:06pm Wed 8 Jul 09
If you would rather swim outside, there is a lovely outdoor pool in Chesham, or there are plenty of rivers around here- many of which have almost beach-like riversides. A short stroll from the free car park by the Spade Oak in Bourne End there are fields with access to the river including shallow waters for paddling and catching fish to deeper waters for proper swimming. During the hot weather last week I exercised for free by doing a few widths of the river of an evening. I thouroughly reccomend it to anyone.
I relaise that the closure of Hollywell Mead has alot of peoples backs up, but I think we need to make more of our natural swimming waters. I am dismayed that swimming is no longer encouraged at Black Park Lake which has been a safe and beautiful swimming spot used by residents for many years. Apparently the County Council are scared that if someone has an accident, a lawsuit will follow.
ivor
says...
11:46pm Wed 8 Jul 09
Indeed being a man of meagre means I am unable to spend out unless it is really necessary. I am surprised to hear that even though the two pools were part of the same group you could not use you membership at either pool.
Chesham is rather a long way for me to go. I doubt if my car is up to the journey let alone myself! I am not a very good swimmer (I still require armbands) so I doubt if it would be a good idea for me to swim in a river.
The Holywell Mead swimming pool was built in 1957 to a 1930’s design.
There was even a terrace where you could partake in refreshments.
The swimming pool has been drained.
Weeds are growing between the paving stones where people could be enjoying themselves.
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OllieNewbury says...
7:17pm Thu 2 Jul 09
Let's hope something can be done.