The Metropolis

VIDEO: Steve Coogan remembers "an incident with a pigeon" at soon-to-be-demolished Acton swimming baths

Mike Pollitt | Wednesday 17 October, 2012 10:40

“In 1979, no one died. In 1980, some one died. In 1981, no one died. In 1982, there was the incident with a pigeon.”

I used to quote this clip, from The Day Today, endlessly. Now it looks like Acton swimming baths, where the scene was filmed, is to be bulldozed and replaced by a leisure and community complex. Some local campaigners are not happy with the loss of a 100-year old listed building, but Acton W3 reports that English Heritage support the new development as doing more good than harm. They say:

“Unfortunately, it is not possible to accommodate fully accessible services to the necessary standards within the ‘skin’ of the building. ‘Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that the substantial heritage benefits associated with refurbishing and re-using the vacant and deteriorating grade II listed Acton Town Hall (the most significant element of the town hall/baths complex), along with the genuine public benefits of providing a new leisure facility at this location, would outweigh the harm that would be caused to the character of the conservation area by the loss of the baths.”

And so commotions in the rafters will cease for ever. The rafters will be gone.

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