Courtesy of Swimmers and Swammers Chris, James and Matt at Thames Baths via Kickstarter:
We are Chris, James and Matt. Two experienced architects and one experienced strategist looking to give something back to the amazing city of London in which we’ve all spent most of our life.
Our vision is to create a swimming lido that reclaims the River Thames, not just for people living in London and the local community that would live near by it, but for people visiting London too. We love this city and can’t believe that we aren’t able to make more use of the great river that flows through it.
The lido won’t just be for swimmers, but it will also be an amazing cultural destination for non-swimmers too; there will be cine+swim nights powered by popular cinema groups, a cafe run by local suppliers, a haven for wildlife sitting alongside the lido, opportunities for the unemployed and of course great places to lounge and take in the amazing sights around you.
We’d like you to help us by donating whatever you can to the idea. From £8 upwards we’ve got rewards for everyone and above £45 you can become a founding member meaning you’ll be forever in our hearts and a huge, ever-lasting part of our history. Our first target is the £125,000 total (we’re now over 20%+ of the way there and have had support from all over the world so wherever you are) which will help us get on the road to planning permission and make this project a reality for London.
From there we will then be working with sponsors, grants and investors to find the total we need to make this happen. (less than 1/10th the cost of the Garden Bridge)
We won’t stop until this architectural vision becomes a cultural destination for all of us in London and beyond.
Thanks so so so much for anything you can do to help, we can’t wait to go on this journey with you.
SKETCHING THE DREAM
What started as a dream many months ago is a step closer to reality. The original idea was conceived by Chris whilst on holiday in Zurich surrounded by the lake and its’ swimming facilities.
We realised there was nothing like this in London’s largest body of water and public space, the River Thames, and so we set about sketching out the idea.
You’d never imagine that from this sketch, we’ve come so far, in such a short time.
The design works on the basis of a floating pontoon which rises and falls with the tide. The pools will be filled with River Thames water filtered through a bespoke filtration system making the water crystal clear.
