The area of land known today as Brooklands Park, in East Grinstead, was originally two adjacent plots, both of which were owned by Sir Thomas Brooke-Hitching. One bordered directly onto what is now Brooklands Way, opposite the present Copyhold Estate, and ran down to the bottom of the hill, to the cottages on the left, the other plot encompassing the area mostly to the south and east of this, and including the location where the open-air swimming pool would later be built. Sir Thomas had plans to develop the former site as a housing estate, and on 4 July 1906 generously gifted the latter site to the Urban District Council, to be held in trust, and used as a park and recreation area for the benefit of the public in perpetuity. It seems from press reports of the time that the housing development began to be built, but was problematic, probably because of the topography and the ground conditions there, and the auction failed to attract buyers. This site was also later acquired by the UDC, on 14 April 1920, but the idea that they might use it for development was abandoned, probably for the same reasons, and it was also designated as part of Brooklands Park.
At this time, Brooklands Way was still the unnamed extension of an ancient track, which once ran from Copyhold Farm, also known locally as Killick’s Farm. The track followed the same route as the present road, downhill to today’s Hurst Farm roundabout. One of the old cottages adjacent to the roundabout was originally the mill-house for Brook Mill, the demesne watermill of Imberhorne Manor, which for centuries had stood nearby, but had all but disappeared by the mid-nineteenth century, and ceased working much earlier. The land behind the mill-house, now a garage block, was probably a millpond, the bell-shaped outline detectable on maps and aerial photographs.
Brooklands Park is located on the spring-line, several springs rising to the surface here, their water draining into the Sunnyside Stream, a headwater of the Medway, and flowing down to the sites of Brook Mill, Dunnings Mill and Brambletye Mill, and many more mills after flowing into the river.
There had been talk of providing an open-air public “swimming bath” for East Grinstead for many years before the one in Brooklands Park finally materialised in 1912. Back in 1892, when the Local Board was still in charge of the town, Mr W. H. Steer built such a pool for his own use, and to demonstrate the need for public “baths” for the health and fitness of the population. By 1894 he had made tentative plans to enlarge his swimming bath to three or four times its original size, but realising that there might be other opportunities to be had, he wrote to the Board, offering to meet with a committee to discuss the possibility of their funding its enlargement and taking it over as a public asset. The Board was then in a transitional period, and it was decided that they could not commit to such an enterprise, so they wrote and thanked Mr Steer for his offer, but declined it, as they “could not see their way to doing anything in the matter.” Nevertheless, public demand for an open-air swimming pool intensified over the following decade, and became almost irresistible, particularly as Lewes had shown that it was feasible. The following item appeared in the Sussex Agricultural Express of 12th August 1905…
“An East Grinstead Need: There has been considerable comment recently in East Grinstead respecting the need of a swimming bath in the town. That it is a need cannot be disputed, for at the present time there is nowhere under a mile and a half from the town where this popular and useful form of exercise can be indulged in, and even then, ladies are precluded. It would not be necessary to construct a palatial building, as an open bath would meet the requirement. If the Council managed the Baths as at Lewes, the expense of upkeep would be covered by the nominal charges, while the boon of such a place would be inestimable.”
In January 1907 the town’s Roads & Bridges Committee applied for permission to widen West Hill and create an entrance into what was later to be called Brooklands Park. Permission was granted, and in retrospect this can be seen as a significant development, which greatly improved accessibility. Sir Thomas Brooke-Hitching, in addition to providing the land for the recreation ground or park, also supplied the land for widening the road, and gave permission for the new access path from the road.
By the end of 1910, it had been agreed, in principle, that a public swimming pool would be built in Brooklands Park, and the Urban District Council approached the Board of the nearby Workhouse, seeking shared use of the spring water that supplied it. They also asked if they could acquire the land for creating the necessary footpath access. The Board agreed to these requests, and a sub-committee was formed to consult with the UDC and report back.
On 12th April 1912, the Sussex Agricultural Express reported that…
“The construction of the swimming bath by the Urban Council, at Brooklands Park, has been completed, and the councillors and others who were present at the official inspection were very pleased with what they saw. That the bath will be greatly appreciated, there is no doubt, for the town has sadly lacked accommodation for swimmers. The bath itself is 80 feet long and 35 feet wide, and capital dressing boxes are fitted up. It was designed by local surveyor Mr. W. E. Woollam, and the work was carried out under his supervision.”
The issue of mixed-bathing was still to be resolved in early June, and Mr Bennett, the secretary of East Grinstead Swimming Club, wrote to the Council to ascertain if it would be permitted. Mr Steer proposed that it should be, but his proposal was not seconded, and it was decided that mixed bathing would not be allowed during the “experimental” stage in the first season.
The formal opening of the Brooklands swimming pool took place on Saturday 1st June 1912, when a “large gathering” attended the Recreation Ground for the occasion. Several councillors were present, and speeches were delivered, including one by the Chairman of the Bath Committee, who said that it was “quite an acquisition” for the town, and one that had been completed for the modest sum of £350. He congratulated all concerned, including Mr Woollam, the designer of the swimming bath and surveyor for the project. However, the Chairman of the Council, Mr J. Rice JP, put rather a dampener on the celebrations, by appearing with a black eye, having been attacked that morning “for doing his duty faithfully and fearlessly for the town” and he proceeded to lecture “the young men who stood at street corners,” suggesting that if they were to spend some time at the baths, cleansing their bodies and washing out their mouths, the streets would be the better for it.” The event concluded with members of the newly-formed Swimming Club and Tunbridge Wells Monson Swimming Club engaging in a water-polo match and giving exhibitions of life saving and diving, while the Military and Town bands played on.
Use of the swimming pool and recreation ground continued throughout the Great War (WW1) and, in May 1915 a miniature rifle range was proposed for the site, the former owner Sir Thomas Brooke-Hitching, who had given that part of the park to the town as a gift a few years earlier, saying that he had no objection, in fact he would be pleased. The scheme was approved and work began almost immediately, with Volunteer Training Corps recruits working to level a portion of the park for the range. In October that year it was reported that “Members of East Grinstead Volunteer Training Corps competed on their range at Brooklands Park for the Bell Medal, each competitor firing ten rounds deliberate and ten rounds with a time limit.”
In February 1917, the Council’s Farm Committee recommended that about an acre of Brooklands Recreation Ground should be let to the War Work Association for producing foodstuffs for a term of three years, at an annual rental of £1 an acre. But the request was declined, stating that the use of the land for allotments should be referred to others.
During the interwar years the popularity of the park and pool increased, with well-attended annual galas, swimming lessons and related activities taking place. It seems that the earlier swimming club had lapsed at some point, but was successfully relaunched in 1924.
“The success that attended the gala and Swimming Club evening at Brooklands Park was unexpected by even the most optimistic member. It is certain that the swimming enthusiasts who started the club just over year ago did not dream that it would become popular and attain such importance in the short period of twelve months. A large number of townspeople attended, and a few minutes after the commencement there was not seat to be had, many having to stand throughout the proceedings.”
During the 1930s, the Urban Council committed to a policy of creating work for unemployed workers, wherever possible. A discussion at a meeting in February 1933 had led to the following work being undertaken in order to provide employment: The creation of two terraces for land on the east side of the Brooklands Park recreation ground was scheduled, and the south terrace was to be given an area as large as possible, with a view to it being used as a children’s playground. Other works included piping the stream from a point near the swimming baths, and the clearance of brambles and dead trees from the east and west sides of both.
At this time, it became clear that the condition of the pool had deteriorated badly, and it needed urgent and expensive repairs, for which there there was no provision in the budget. The work proposed for that winter was reluctantly cancelled. But, in June 1934, a meeting of the Parks, Baths and Cemeteries Committee recommended approval of a scheme for the enlargement and improvement of the swimming pool and surrounding area, at an estimated cost of £3,700. It was accepted, and work began soon afterwards. The East Grinstead Official Guide (3rd edition) later described the procedure, and the impressive results that were achieved…
“The pool was enlarged and modified in 1934-5 at a cost of approximately £3,500. The water enters the pool in a continual flow down an imposing cascade, and is kept pure by an up-to-date purification plant. The concrete bath has walls faced with pre-cast artificial stone slabs having a polished face, and is 100 feet long by 40 feet wide, with a capacity of 162,240 gallons of water. A 3-2-1 metre diving stage is provided, as well as an “S” water-chute at the deep end, where there is a depth of 10 feet of water. The shallow end has a chute for children. Fifty cubicles are provided for changing, and the wire-basket scheme for clothes prevents congestion. Around the pool are attractive rock gardens, flower-beds and lawns, helping to make this an ideal spot for a bathe on a warm summer’s day.”
Two years later, the Southern Weekly News gave it high praise: “The swimming pool is in a setting which I have never seen equalled, people come from miles around to bathe here.”
The original pool had opened shortly before the outbreak of the first World War, and it wasn’t long after the inauguration of the substantially modified pool, that the dark clouds of conflict began to gather again. Preparations for war were taking place, including the erection of an air-raid shelter in Brooklands Way and elsewhere in the town. In February 1939 the country was still very much in recession when the following report appeared in the East Grinstead Observer…
“The committee considered the question of advancing schemes to relieve the number of unemployed men in East Grinstead. The Surveyor reported on the matter, and stated that in connection with the Improvement of West Hoathly Road, there would be a large quantity of excavated material which he suggested should be removed to Brooklands Park and used to fill certain depressions, and widen the embankment of the swimming pool, at an estimated cost of £150. It would employ three men for six weeks.“
The onset of World War Two meant that concessions would have to be made, and people would need to adapt to changes that would have been unacceptable in peacetime. Public land was dug up, and allotments were created at several sites around the town, including Brooklands Park and King George’s Field. Later in the war, there were complaints about the growing and selling of flowers, rather than vegetables, at Brooklands allotment plots, but the complaints were not upheld, as it was established that the flowers took up little space and attracted bees, which was beneficial.
Money was tight for many residents, and East Grinstead District Youth Committee asked the council if it would allow members aged between 14 and 20 to use the swimming pool for two nights a week at 2d (tuppence) per head. This was agreed, subject to a number of conditions. It was considered important that recreation and entertainment should continue throughout the war, and regular swimming galas and musical performances took place at the swimming pool and recreation ground, and these were well-attended. Cinema was also a very popular form of entertainment in East Grinstead, and was always well supported by local people, but it was during a film show at the Whitehall Cinema in London Road that a bomb hit the packed cinema, causing many injuries and the tragic deaths of 108 people, many of them being children. In 1942, the West Hill and Brooklands Park area had been hit by a cluster of bombs, causing great damage, but no serious casualties.
The end of the war was welcomed with great relief by the population. Members of the armed forces were progressively demobbed, returning home to a warm welcome, and the “baby boom” years began. Rationing continued until well into the 1950s, and many bomb sites were yet to be cleared, but people were looking ahead to better days.
In August 1950, the Swimming Pool and Recreation Grounds were more popular than ever, and an Aquatic Show was included as part of Carnival Week, hosting a range of children’s competitions, activities and events. A summer catering experiment was introduced at Brooklands swimming pool later that year, offering refreshments to the customers. To many of the post-war children of East Grinstead in the 50s, 60s and 70s, it was the place to go, to meet friends and have fun – and many of them did just that. Michael Leppard noted in his History of East Grinstead that over 35,000 attendances were recorded at Brooklands Park pool in 1958, including 7,000 school children under instruction, and Wednesday 8 July 1959 saw a record mid-week attendance of 1,326 with the previous weekend a record 2,782. In order to cope, the pool stayed open until midnight on those days, although not without complaints from the neighbours and letters to the local press.
In 1978, the pool was again in need of costly renovation, the district council claiming that it would be uneconomic to repair. It continued to open on a limited basis in 1979, but was “living on borrowed time” and would not continue for long. The following May there was still a faint hope of saving it, and an action group was campaigning for it, but it wasn’t to be, and East Grinstead Swimming Club made alternative arrangements for its 400 members. The closure of the pool was agreed by the Amenities Committee in early 1980, and a year later the site was being reinstated and landscaped, as outlined in the East Grinstead Observer’s report of 17th September 1981. It seems that the term “Lido” for the pool area had only been used on a regular basis since it became under threat of closure, although the reason for this is unclear. It is also interesting to note that the swimming pool was “filled,” not broken up, so it is actually still there beneath its landscaped grassy platform in Brooklands Park.
“The disused Brooklands Lido at East Grinstead looks as though it will be adapted to benefit local people after all. The former swimming pool, which closed down over a year ago, because it cost too much to maintain, is now being transformed into a useful meeting and storage place for town organisations. The pool itself has been filled and final landscaping works are nearing completion.”
For some years before the closure, proposals for an indoor pool at King George’s Field had been on and off the table at least twice – once because the projected pool was considered too small, and once because the cost was too high for a larger pool, at £1 million. It would perhaps have cost less to restore Brooklands pool and go for a small indoor option as well. But that is all water under the bridge now, and though this is a related subject, it is outside the remit of this tale of the loss of one of the town’s greatest assets.
Today, Brooklands Park is just that – a somewhat neglected park, with a brook running through it. It can no longer claim to be a Recreation Ground. The excitement and enjoyment that residents and visitors of all ages once felt there, have vanished, with only the children’s play area left as a faint reminder of past glories. Proposals for improvement have several times failed to materialise, and in recent years the park appears to have been given a low priority, in favour of other local parks and recreation areas. What would it take to get people to return? Arranging events to be held there instead of East Court perhaps? A bandstand and even public toilets perhaps (the infrastructure is probably still there)?
A nature reserve would be a good start, but not enough on its own. Several times in recent years the stream has been polluted with sewage leaking into it, resulting in fines for the water company. Drug dealing and other illicit activities take place there, and littering is an issue. It was once a beautiful place, and could be again. Let’s get it sorted out please Mid Sussex District Council, for the sake of the residents for whom the park was created, and before those of us who remember its heyday are no longer around to enjoy it and remind people that it is their park.
Roy Henderson, 8 March 2024.
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