London’s cool new pool

Earlier this summer, before the heatwaves and hosepipe bans, Sea Lanes opened a cool new pool tucked into Canary Wharf, fed by underground springs. Ella Foote chats to Operations Director Helen Bull and Marketing Director Harry Smith to find out how London’s newest swimming offer is taking off.

On opening day of Sea Lanes Canary Wharf the UK entered a heatwave, what could be better for London’s newest open water venue? But when a heatwave collides with a brand-new floating pool in the middle of a business district, in a corner of London starved of access to water, an unexpected amount of interest arises.

“There has been a lot of sunbathing,” says Harry Smith, Sea Lanes Marketing Director. “I am not convinced that everyone who has paid to swim has done a whole lot of swimming,” he says laughing. This summer’s record-breaking temperatures has meant that the team at Sea Lanes have found their pool has become a destination for not just die-hard open water swimmers, but lido-curious Londoners, sunbathers and dippers. During their opening week 7,000 people paid to be in or beside the water at Eden Dock, a number that far outstripped expectations.

From sea to the city

Sea Lanes Canary Wharf is the third pool for the team behind Sea Lanes Brighton and Hilsea Lido and is by far the most unique. Rather than a conventional chlorinated pool, it’s 50-metre floating structure, built with a RotoDock modular cubes you normally find floating at a marina, clad with timber decking and moored in Eden Dock. The pool’s sides are lined with a geotextile membrane that lets the water from the dock flow freely in and out, doubling as a natural filter as it colonises with plant life. The water in the dock is spring-fed from an aquifer and not connected to the Thames, like many people expect. It means the water, which is tested regularly, is consistently cool and rated excellent on the EU bathing water scale. When I visited a month after opening it was a joy to see fish and plant life lining the bottom of the pool, offering a wild-ish experience for the urban swimmer.

Stepping stone

The pool isn’t the only swimming option either; a ramp at the far end of the pool enables confident swimmers to launch straight into the wider dock, something that was introduced after those initial weeks. Dock swimming echoes the pathway Sea Lanes built in Brighton, where the pool acts as a stepping stone into the sea. At Canary Wharf it is more tightly managed with new swimmers needing to attend a safety briefing and demonstrate they can swim two lengths of the pool before being signed off to swim the 400-metre loop in the dock (a 750-metre loop is coming).

The venue is also built with accessibility in mind. “What Sea Lanes do really well is design spaces for everyone, rather than think about what to do to make it accessible for a particular group,” says Operations Director Helen Bull, who is also a wheelchair user. When I visited in June, the original ladders were a challenge, with the first step too high from the water for many users. These have already been switched out, and a set of Roman steps have been added. The deck was built with wide ramps from the changing rooms down to the pool deck and again out to the dock. “A pool hoist is coming soon too,” says Helen.

As well as the amount of fair-weather swimmers, the team have been surprised by people’s curiosity. People have queued at reception not just for tickets but for questions. How does the tank float? Why is the water this the water that colour? Can you touch the bottom? “One regular swimmer told us that she has been late for work because of her new pre-work swim, coffee and croissant routine, which made us laugh but how great that her day has now transformed by having a pool nearby,” says Helen.

With all new sites there is always the question, will people come? “Hilsea is a tried and tested lido with 90 years of history, so we didn’t worry so much about reopening it,” says Harry. “When we built Brighton Sea Lanes, right on the beach, we were worried people would rather swim in the sea and this is so unique, there was a worry it would be too niche – but seeing how it has appealed to every kind of swimmer has been brilliant.”

The winter effect

Winter will change the picture entirely. An unheated, spring-fed venue will transform the pool audience from sunbathers to ice swim enthusiasts, with the two on-site saunas bringing make Sea Lanes Canary Wharf another destination for dippers.

The future looks exciting with talks of winter swimming challenges, and plans to develop paddleboarding and exercise classes. In August, Level Water held their first challenge at the pool and later this month Outdoor Swimmer will hold a Pool Party.

For open water swimmers, a pool wedged between skyscrapers might not appeal, but that is rather the point. Sea Lanes has built a safe space for people who wouldn’t normally go into open water. It encourages people to fall for open water gently, on their own terms. It is exactly the place we want to meet you this month at our Pool Party. Sunbathers are welcome, but bring your goggles too!