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I’ve been searching for Lucy Blakstad’s Lido documentary for the best part of a decade now. Originally screened on BBC2 back in 1995, the Modern Times strand is the perfect snapshot of lovely Lido social history.

I had long since given up my quest to reacquaint myself with that very, very special feel from that Brockwell era.

And then come Tuesday morning and BINGO!

The mad fools from the Lido Winter Swimming group posted the vimeo link online.

Brockwell Lido genuine GOLD has re-surfaced. The 48 minutes of Transpontine social history was the first introduction for many about the pleasures of procrastination and lido life.

I personally found the lido towards the fag end of the summer of ’95, a couple of weeks after I had gatecrashed my way towards the top of Brixton Hill. I still remember those very early Brixton conversations, and the reverence that was reserved when folk referred to the lido.

What is this lido? Where can I find it? Why is it so special?

One lazy afternoon visit later and my life was changed.

No shit.

ALL further major life decisions have since been made with the spectre of the lido looming and what it means to me. Work, relationships, locality - all have suffered / prospered with the one constant that Brockwell Lido is very much about who I am as a person.

Which is why I have been so keen to view Lucy’s video once again. I watched it when it was originally broadcast, but that was it. Almost two decades on and how does the programme stack up? And what of the lido itself?

Compare, contrast and procrastinate…

Not a lot has changed physically within the lido from the Golden Days of Paddy and Casey back in ’95 when compared to the modern day Fusion incarnation.

Sure, the old entrance swallowed up some of Brockwell Park and has been converted into a gym. Plus the Lido Cafe now serves up something a little more exotic than Coke and Mars bars.

But the pool remains the same.

Fifty-five yards of GLORIOUS Brockwell blue. Even my winter swims of late have confirmed that the microclimate of SE24 is a Transpontine suntrap.

I’ve had nothing but blues skies bouncing down on the basin of the pool throughout the winter months. Re-surfacing (and re-painting) jobs have come and gone over the summers, but the REAL beauty of Brockwell Lido is the physical possibilities that the space allows for those within.

The Modern Times film starts appropriately with Paddy splashing around, pre-opening time. The management of the lido is another one of the major changes, with the corporatism of Fusion replacing the South London laissez faire approach of Paddy and Casey.

Lidos were actually unfashionable at the time of the original filming. The hand to mouth existence suffered by Paddy and Casey now seems unfeasible in these days of post-London 2012 legacy.

There was the very real threat EVERY summer of the shutters not opening. The Lido is now one of the crown jewels for Lambeth Council - albeit with little responsibility…

The main message in the film is that there is an immense love for the lido. This shared commitment to keep something very special in the community is the reason as to why we are now witnessing the Golden Days of the lido Part II.

We have come full circle when it comes outdoor swimming coolness. The London lido scene is once again incredibly healthy (London Fields, Parliament Hill, Tooting, etc.)

Pity poor old Kennington.

Lucy’s film is quite remarkable in that it captures not only a sense of the overall story of the lido and why it is so special, but also the parallel strands of the personal stories of the characters involved.

There is a whole generation of lido kids that have grown up in South London, bought together through their parents love of the lido back in the day. Many are still swimming and passing on their passion for the lido.

The cheers when the old shutters are opened up to signal the start of the lido day is a lovely sight. There is no such thing as a bad swim - indoors or out - but you won’t find me high-fiving the fella ahead of me in the queue at Brixton Rec.

“The whole spectrum of life comes here”

…explains a high-ranking civil servant from the John Major administration.

We’re all equal without our clothes, Comrade.

“There’s more chance of me being poked by the Pope than getting me in that water”

…adds another swimmer to her female partner.

OUCH, etc.

The whole pace of the programme then unfolds with a similar synchronicity to lido life itself. There is no rush to tell the tales, each one sequenced with shots of not a lot happening, apart from folk simply taking the time to enjoy Transpontine life at the height of summer.

South London summers are THE BEST.

Poolside booze is consumed in a not at all discreet manner. Good luck with that trick in the squeaky clean Fusion era.

DISCLAIMER: No bottle of homebrew lager was ever smuggled into the lido. Nope. Not by me…

“What surprises me are the boobs”

…observes one wide-eyed young man.

“We couldn’t afford to have a holiday this year. It’s the perfect environment.”

I’ve been rolling out that line to Wifey for almost two decades now.

There’s a happy ending, both on film and back at Brockwell Lido for the winter / summer of 2014. We’re still out there swimming, still observing South London life and still keeping this corner of SE24 alive with the life-affirming activity of freezing yer bollocks / nipples off.

Come on in - the water’s…

Plus: @TurnerMoyse updates with a 2014 film about the Beauty of Brockwell.

Plus Plus: Contemporary Transpontine social historians [hellooo!!] might also appreciate this ACE film documenting the DIY ethos that has grown out of Bonnington Square on the edges of Vauxhall.

There are similar themes when compared to the new life breathed into the lido - a small, passionate independent community that is able to develop the growth of a locality, more or less under their under terms.

Ta to the rather good @KenningtonRUN for the heads up.