Ruislip Lido facts for kids
Ruislip Lido (pronounced RY-slip LY-doh) is a fun place with a reservoir and an artificial beach. You can find it in Ruislip, which is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon in England. It's surrounded by nature, including Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods (a special area for wildlife), and Poor's Field.
This spot first opened way back in 1811 as a reservoir to feed the Grand Junction Canal. Then, in 1933, it got a makeover and reopened as a "lido," which means it had facilities for swimming and boating! A cool miniature railway, the Ruislip Lido Railway, started running in 1945. Today, it travels about two-thirds of the way around the reservoir.
After a period of not being well-maintained in the 1970s and 1980s, Ruislip Lido has been fixed up. In 2010, the London Borough of Hillingdon launched a big project to make it even better. This project brought back boating and swimming, which hadn't been possible for a while because of pollution and low water levels.
Contents
The Story of Ruislip Lido
How the Reservoir Was Built
Imagine a time long ago, in the early 1800s! A company called the Grand Junction Canal Company bought a lot of land, about 61.5 acres from King's College, Cambridge and more from other owners. This land was in a valley. They then built a big wall, called a dam, across the valley and let the area fill with water. That's how the reservoir was created!
The reservoir officially opened on December 5, 1811. It was designed by an engineer named John Rennie the Elder and built by Hugh Mackintosh. Its main job was to supply water to the Grand Junction Canal. However, the water from the reservoir became dirty, so it stopped being used for the canal in 1851.
The canal, now known as the Grand Union Canal, is actually quite far away to the west. A special underground channel, called a culvert, was built to carry water from the lido to the canal, about seven miles away. Part of this route even goes over the River Pinn using a small bridge called an aqueduct!
When it Became a Lido
In 1933, the reservoir was transformed into the fun lido we know today! A main building was designed in a cool style called Art Deco. This building had a cafe and changing rooms. It also featured a terrace with steps that led right into a special swimming area. This swimming pool had a concrete bottom and jetties (small piers) on either side, but it was open to the main lido water.
You could rent rowing boats, and there were boathouses on the western side of the reservoir. Later, a special boating area just for kids was added. Ruislip Lido became a very popular spot for water-skiing, and sometimes even televised championships were held there! Did you know that Jon Pertwee, an actor who played Doctor Who, was one of the people who helped start the Ruislip Water Ski Club?
The Ruislip Sailing Club also used to be based at the lido, with people sailing small boats called dinghies. However, in the 1970s, the water level in the reservoir was lowered on purpose to stop nearby houses from flooding. This made the water too shallow for dinghy sailing.
Ruislip Lido has even been a star in movies! Films like The Young Ones with Cliff Richard and A Night to Remember were filmed there. In A Night to Remember, a large model of the RMS Titanic was filmed sinking right in the lido!
All Aboard! The Ruislip Lido Railway
The miniature railway at Ruislip Lido first opened in 1945. Back then, short trains were pulled by a steam locomotive named Prince Edward. The railway was much shorter than it is now, just a small loop on the south-east side of the lido, running around the woods. It was built by the Grand Union Canal Company as part of the lido's attractions, along with a beach on the south-east shore.
Today, the Ruislip Lido Railway is still running! It's run by amazing volunteers and has been made much longer. It even has a second station and platform near the Water's Edge pub. It's a great way to see the lido!
Images for kids
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Ruislip Lido station on the extended section of the railway
