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At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond
Tucked away along a shady path towards the north-east edge of Hampstead Heath is a sign: Women Only. This is the Kenwood Ladies’ Bathing Pond.
Floating in the Pond’s silky waters, hidden by a canopy of trees, it’s easy to forget that you are in the middle of London. On a hot day, thousands of swimmers from eight to eighty-plus can be found waiting to take a dip before sunbathing in the adjoining meadow. As summer turns to autumn and then winter, the Pond is still visited by a large number of hardy regulars in high-vis hats, many of whom have been swimming here for decades.
In these essays we see the Pond from the perspectives of writers who have swum there. Esther Freud describes the life-affirming sensation of swimming through the seasons; Lou Stoppard pays tribute to the winter swimmers who break the ice; Margaret Drabble reflects on the golden Hampstead days of her youth; Sharlene Teo visits for the first time; and Nell Frizzell shares the view from her yellow lifeguard’s canoe.
Combining personal reminiscence with reflections on the history of the place over the years and through the changing seasons,At the Pond captures fourteen contemporary writers’ impressions of this unique place.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2019
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July 9, 2019
This book of essays is divided into four seasons, beginning with winter - much like the documentary of the Hampstead Ponds which was released in the summer of 2018 and I saw at the Hampstead Everyman cinema in the winter of 2019. You don’t absolutely need to have an experience of the Hampstead Ponds or ‘wild swimming’ to be interested by this book, but it helps, I think.
Although the contributors vary in age, outlook, nationality and even gender - one of the writers now identifies as trans or non-binary - the same themes tend to come up again and again. The importance of nature, especially in the metropolis of London. The need for courage. The feeling of belonging to a special experience that is both historical and timeless. The feeling of being challenged, soothed but also ‘held’ by the water. The duality of becoming both more and less aware of your body - of its pains, its imperfections, its possibilities.
It takes a bit of courage to swim in the Ponds, even in the summer when the water is relatively warm (or at least not freezing). Some people are afraid of the cold water, others of the murky depths. When I first met the challenging of swimming there, I was thrilled; but there is still the sense, touched on in several of the essays, that one needs to be a year-round swimmer to fully experience both the magic and the challenge and the healing nature of the Ponds. Three of the essayists are famous writers (Margaret Drabble, Deborah Moggach and Esther Freud), but only Freud has actually broken the mental/physical barrier of swimming in the winter. Her essay is the first in the book:
One theme, which I identified with very much, was that swimming in the Ladies Pond becomes a way of ‘belonging’ - to the city of London, to the storied history of the Heath, to a community of women. So many people come to London looking for something, or hoping to find something, but the impersonal qualities of the city are both liberating and overwhelming. Sharlene Teo, a writer originally from Singapore, titles her essay “Echolocation”, and it is one of my favourites in the collection. She touches on so many of the themes that the Ladies Pond seems to inspire, but there was something particularly pithy about this observation: ”Keep moving to stay warm. This directive sounds like life advice.”
Although the contributors vary in age, outlook, nationality and even gender - one of the writers now identifies as trans or non-binary - the same themes tend to come up again and again. The importance of nature, especially in the metropolis of London. The need for courage. The feeling of belonging to a special experience that is both historical and timeless. The feeling of being challenged, soothed but also ‘held’ by the water. The duality of becoming both more and less aware of your body - of its pains, its imperfections, its possibilities.
It takes a bit of courage to swim in the Ponds, even in the summer when the water is relatively warm (or at least not freezing). Some people are afraid of the cold water, others of the murky depths. When I first met the challenging of swimming there, I was thrilled; but there is still the sense, touched on in several of the essays, that one needs to be a year-round swimmer to fully experience both the magic and the challenge and the healing nature of the Ponds. Three of the essayists are famous writers (Margaret Drabble, Deborah Moggach and Esther Freud), but only Freud has actually broken the mental/physical barrier of swimming in the winter. Her essay is the first in the book:
”It’s well-known that swimming in cold water has physical benefits but there are others that are harder to define. ... Here, my sense of myself was altered, the cold too shocking to focus on sorrow and confusion when the useful thing was courage, and when my heart had steadied, and I realised I was not actually going to die, the exhilaration hit me and I felt dizzyingly grateful to be alive.
One theme, which I identified with very much, was that swimming in the Ladies Pond becomes a way of ‘belonging’ - to the city of London, to the storied history of the Heath, to a community of women. So many people come to London looking for something, or hoping to find something, but the impersonal qualities of the city are both liberating and overwhelming. Sharlene Teo, a writer originally from Singapore, titles her essay “Echolocation”, and it is one of my favourites in the collection. She touches on so many of the themes that the Ladies Pond seems to inspire, but there was something particularly pithy about this observation: ”Keep moving to stay warm. This directive sounds like life advice.”
September 21, 2022
Well this was absolutely glorious; it even made me want to go to the pond in the winter, the winter essays were my favourites, and I would highly recommend downloading the kindle sample and reading the first essay.
November 2, 2020
I visited Hampstead Heath for the first time on a blustery wet day in September. Here, I spent a few peaceful moments watching two women with glorious jewel-toned swimming hats gliding along in the Ladies' Pond. It was cheering that they were undeterred by the weather, particularly as I battled to keep my umbrella up...
At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond collects together fourteen essays, each of which was written especially for this book. I already love the work of some of the contributors - Esther Freud, Margaret Drabble, Jessica J. Lee - but there were a handful whose writing I had not read before. I love thematic collections such as this; they bring together so many different views on one particular topic or location - in this case, a designated pond for women to swim in, in a patch of quiet in the heart of London.
In At the Pond, we are given the perspectives of fourteen different writers, all of whom have swum there. Some of these women are regulars; others have been just once or twice. The book combines 'personal reminiscence with reflections on the history of the place over the years and through the changing seasons.'
The Pond was established in the late-seventeenth century as a freshwater reservoir, fed by the subterranean River Fleet. It was opened to the public for bathing in 1925, and joins around thirty freshwater ponds dotted across Hampstead Heath, only three of which can be swum in. One of these is solely for men, but there is also a 'mixed Pond' which women are able to visit.
'On a hot day,' says the book's blurb, 'thousands of swimmers from eight to eighty-plus can be found waiting to take a dip before sunbathing in the adjoining meadow. As summer turns to autumn and then winter, the Pond is still visited by a large number of hardy regulars in high-vis hats, many of whom have been swimming here for decades.'
Each of the authors mentions the nature of the place, and the connection which swimming in the pond brings with its surroundings. The pond teems with 'abundant wildlife - from dragonflies, moorhens and kingfishers above the water's surface, to swan mussels, roach and carp beneath'. Some of the contributors also touch upon its history, and its rich literary heritage. Rich descriptions pepper each of these essays.
In her essay entitled 'Cold Shocks and Mud Beards', Esther Freud writes: 'No men, children, radios, dogs - the sign on the gate warned, and as I walked down the path beside the sloping meadow, and stood on the wooden deck above the mud brown pond, I had the unusual sense that I was exquisitely lucky to be female.' She goes on to comment: 'There is so much space here. So much peace. And above the birdsong the only sound is the hum of chat and laughter and the occasional scream of someone new braving the cold.'
Lou Stoppard writes that 'the water is silky. It's thicker than other water. It sticks to the skin, laps your body and holds you, suspended. You cut through it, as if stirring cream.' Jessica J. Lee - whose memoir on swimming, Turning, is a book which I very much enjoyed - comments: 'Wet already, I slipped into the black and swam a small lap, my breath catching on the sharp edges of the cold.' Lee worked on a doctoral dissertation about the Heath, 'exploring ideas of beauty and history with the Pond's winter swimmers.' I can only hope that this is published, and soon!
Nina Mingya Powles' essay is made up of a series of vignettes, beginning with the swimming she looked forward to as a child, whilst in Malaysia. She notes: 'I am many bodies of water, strange and shifting'. Margaret Drabble writes about the heritage of the Ladies' Pond: 'The lifeguards tell me that the ponds are more valued now than ever, as London entertainments grow ever more expensive, and our need for some contact with the natural world more imperative. They are well protected by those who love them. It is a small miracle that they have survived so well for so long.'
One of my favourite elements of this collection was the way in which it spans every season; indeed, it is split into four sections, which denote each season. Swimming is something which I always love reading about - and doing, although I must admit that I am more of a fair weather woman - and to be able to view the same place in so many different weathers was wonderful. I shivered slightly when a couple of the authors wrote about the lifeguards having to break the surface ice during the winter, and the way in which around 150 hardy women still decide to swim regularly during the season.
At the Pond is a real delight. Almost every one of these essays is overwhelming positive, and each offers recollections of joy and warmth. The authors are united in the sense of community fostered at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond, and in the deep sense of peace and wellbeing which they have found within its waters.
The essay collection is beautiful and evocative, and has such a charm about it. At the Pond is rather a moving tribute to a haven which can be found in one of the busiest cities in the world. The collection is lovely to dip in and out of - much like the Pond itself, I imagine.
At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond collects together fourteen essays, each of which was written especially for this book. I already love the work of some of the contributors - Esther Freud, Margaret Drabble, Jessica J. Lee - but there were a handful whose writing I had not read before. I love thematic collections such as this; they bring together so many different views on one particular topic or location - in this case, a designated pond for women to swim in, in a patch of quiet in the heart of London.
In At the Pond, we are given the perspectives of fourteen different writers, all of whom have swum there. Some of these women are regulars; others have been just once or twice. The book combines 'personal reminiscence with reflections on the history of the place over the years and through the changing seasons.'
The Pond was established in the late-seventeenth century as a freshwater reservoir, fed by the subterranean River Fleet. It was opened to the public for bathing in 1925, and joins around thirty freshwater ponds dotted across Hampstead Heath, only three of which can be swum in. One of these is solely for men, but there is also a 'mixed Pond' which women are able to visit.
'On a hot day,' says the book's blurb, 'thousands of swimmers from eight to eighty-plus can be found waiting to take a dip before sunbathing in the adjoining meadow. As summer turns to autumn and then winter, the Pond is still visited by a large number of hardy regulars in high-vis hats, many of whom have been swimming here for decades.'
Each of the authors mentions the nature of the place, and the connection which swimming in the pond brings with its surroundings. The pond teems with 'abundant wildlife - from dragonflies, moorhens and kingfishers above the water's surface, to swan mussels, roach and carp beneath'. Some of the contributors also touch upon its history, and its rich literary heritage. Rich descriptions pepper each of these essays.
In her essay entitled 'Cold Shocks and Mud Beards', Esther Freud writes: 'No men, children, radios, dogs - the sign on the gate warned, and as I walked down the path beside the sloping meadow, and stood on the wooden deck above the mud brown pond, I had the unusual sense that I was exquisitely lucky to be female.' She goes on to comment: 'There is so much space here. So much peace. And above the birdsong the only sound is the hum of chat and laughter and the occasional scream of someone new braving the cold.'
Lou Stoppard writes that 'the water is silky. It's thicker than other water. It sticks to the skin, laps your body and holds you, suspended. You cut through it, as if stirring cream.' Jessica J. Lee - whose memoir on swimming, Turning, is a book which I very much enjoyed - comments: 'Wet already, I slipped into the black and swam a small lap, my breath catching on the sharp edges of the cold.' Lee worked on a doctoral dissertation about the Heath, 'exploring ideas of beauty and history with the Pond's winter swimmers.' I can only hope that this is published, and soon!
Nina Mingya Powles' essay is made up of a series of vignettes, beginning with the swimming she looked forward to as a child, whilst in Malaysia. She notes: 'I am many bodies of water, strange and shifting'. Margaret Drabble writes about the heritage of the Ladies' Pond: 'The lifeguards tell me that the ponds are more valued now than ever, as London entertainments grow ever more expensive, and our need for some contact with the natural world more imperative. They are well protected by those who love them. It is a small miracle that they have survived so well for so long.'
One of my favourite elements of this collection was the way in which it spans every season; indeed, it is split into four sections, which denote each season. Swimming is something which I always love reading about - and doing, although I must admit that I am more of a fair weather woman - and to be able to view the same place in so many different weathers was wonderful. I shivered slightly when a couple of the authors wrote about the lifeguards having to break the surface ice during the winter, and the way in which around 150 hardy women still decide to swim regularly during the season.
At the Pond is a real delight. Almost every one of these essays is overwhelming positive, and each offers recollections of joy and warmth. The authors are united in the sense of community fostered at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond, and in the deep sense of peace and wellbeing which they have found within its waters.
The essay collection is beautiful and evocative, and has such a charm about it. At the Pond is rather a moving tribute to a haven which can be found in one of the busiest cities in the world. The collection is lovely to dip in and out of - much like the Pond itself, I imagine.
November 26, 2019
A really enjoyable collection of reminiscences of swimming in the ladies pond on Hampstead Heath. Because each piece is written by a different woman, inevitably I liked some more than others, and while a couple felt almost too slight, the one I absolutely loved and would give five-stars to was by Eli Goldstone who wrote the novel, Strange Heart Beating, which I really enjoyed.
February 25, 2021
kuidas ja miks ja kas üldse kirjeldada eesti keeles raamatut kohast, mida enamus eesti lugejaid ühest küljest pole iialgi kogenud ja teisest küljest, kui kogeksid, kehitaksid ilmselt õlgu, et mis siin erilist?
Ladies' Pond on... mingis mõttes kõige tavalisem metsajärveke. minu jaoks lihtsalt üks jadas Vasula järv-Nikerjärv-Vahejärv-Palojärv - kohad läbi mu elu, kus olen enim armastanud ujumas käia. (Tartust pärit ja Aegviidus suvitanud lapsena pole ma meres- ega jõesujumist kunagi nii kõrgelt hindama õppinud kui üht korralikku järve, aga samas, mis iganes parajasti käepärast on, eks ole. pole mulle võõras ükski Tallinna mererand ega Pirita jõe erinevad sopid. basseinis ujutakse kui üldse, siis talvel.)
nii et päris peadpööritav paradigmamuutus oli kolida Londonisse ja avastada, et looduslikes veekogudes ujumine on brittide jaoks nii eksootiline kontseptsioon, et selle jaoks kasutatakse isegi eraldi väljendit: wild swimming. ja kui nüüd vaatama hakata, siis kust neid veekogusid võttagi. nojah, tehniliselt võttes elame saarel ja meri ei ole kunagi kaugemal kui 70 miili. praktiliselt võttes, kui mitu korda olen spetsiaalselt sõitnud mereranda ja avastanud, et ei mingit ujumist, sest mõõn. (ja üldse, mis ujumine see meres ujumine ka on.) mingid suplemiseks sobivad jõekäärud (vesi: puusani, kui mitte ainult põlvini) olen aastatega ka avastanud, järved on pigem kõik eraomanduses ja ligipääsmatud (või asuvad Lake Districtis, 300 miili kaugusel), veehoidlates ujumine rangelt keelatud.
ja siis on keset Londoni linna, Hampstead Heathi pargis selline peidetud aare - tiik, puude vahel, mudase põhjaga (räägitakse. ei ole mul õnnestunud seda põhja katsuda), kalade, veelindude, kiilide ja muu juurdekuuluvaga. päris metsajärv see muidugi ei ole, seal on aed ümber ja väravas tuleb pilet osta ja vetelpääste kontrollib, mitu inimest korraga ujuda saab. dušš jm infrastruktuur on ka, aga üsna tagasihoidlik. ja see kõik on reserveeritud naistele (keelatud on mehed, lapsed, koerad ja transistorraadiod). meeste tiik ja segatiik on samas pargis ka olemas, aga need ei ole üldse samasugused.
daamide tiik on hästihoitud avalik saladus - kes teab, see teab ja käib, üllatavalt paljud ei tea ja üllatavalt paljud ei hooliks, kui ka teaks, sest wild swimming on ikkagi justkui tavalisest ujumisest mingi täiesti erinev hobi. suvisel sooja ilmaga nädalavahetusel on ümbritsevad päevitamisniidud tihkelt naisi täis ja vettepääsemiseks tuleb seista elavas järjekorras (üks välja, üks sisse). aga on ka terve kogukond pigem vanemaid daame, kes ujub aasta läbi - lihtsalt ei lõpeta sügisel ära ja nii ta läheb.
see raamat on esseekogumik inimestelt, kellel daamide tiigis ujumise kogemus olemas. paljud on tõelised veteranid - mäletavad, kuidas see kõik 60ndatel oli ja/või elavad naabermajas ja/või töötavad vabatahtliku vetelpäästjana. nende lood olidki mu jaoks kõige nauditavamad. nooremate kirjutajate esseed rääkisid ehk minu maitse jaoks veidi liiga palju neist endist ja vähe ujumisest. samas, seal räägiti ära need lood, mis ju ka asjasse puutusid ja rääkimist tahtsid... näiteks abordist ja transseksuaalsusest.
kõigist neist lugudest jäi mu jaoks enim kõlama... naise suhe ta enda kehaga läbi elu ja aastate. ja veega. kõik need kirjeldused, mis tunne täpselt on sellesse vette astuda või hüpata, mismoodi tundub esimene ja mismoodi järgmised tõmbed, kuidas kirvendab välja tulles nahk ja kuidas täpselt kleepuvavõitu vesi sellelt maha voolab (see vee kleepumise teema on läbiv! ei ole ta nii kleepuv midagi mu meelest, tavaline järvevesi. aga eks see ongi tavalisest basseiniveest erinev). kuidas talvel tuleb ujumiseks vahel jäässe rada sisse murda ja suvel tuleb peale tohutu talveigatsus. ja peaaegu mitte keegi ei jäta mainimata mõnd kohtumist udusulis pardipoegadega või etteheitva pilguga haigrut, kes sind mingi puunoti pealt jälgib.
see läbi kogu talve ujumine tundub mulle järjest parema ideena. mul tegelikult oli sügisel isegi plaanis (täies teadmatuses sellest, milline trend saab talisuplus olema 2020/2021 talvel), aga alguses mingi reoveejama ja siis pandeemia tõttu on tiik poolest septembrist suletud olnud ja avatakse uuesti märtsi lõpus. kas aprillis on hilja taliujumisega alustada?
Ladies' Pond on... mingis mõttes kõige tavalisem metsajärveke. minu jaoks lihtsalt üks jadas Vasula järv-Nikerjärv-Vahejärv-Palojärv - kohad läbi mu elu, kus olen enim armastanud ujumas käia. (Tartust pärit ja Aegviidus suvitanud lapsena pole ma meres- ega jõesujumist kunagi nii kõrgelt hindama õppinud kui üht korralikku järve, aga samas, mis iganes parajasti käepärast on, eks ole. pole mulle võõras ükski Tallinna mererand ega Pirita jõe erinevad sopid. basseinis ujutakse kui üldse, siis talvel.)
nii et päris peadpööritav paradigmamuutus oli kolida Londonisse ja avastada, et looduslikes veekogudes ujumine on brittide jaoks nii eksootiline kontseptsioon, et selle jaoks kasutatakse isegi eraldi väljendit: wild swimming. ja kui nüüd vaatama hakata, siis kust neid veekogusid võttagi. nojah, tehniliselt võttes elame saarel ja meri ei ole kunagi kaugemal kui 70 miili. praktiliselt võttes, kui mitu korda olen spetsiaalselt sõitnud mereranda ja avastanud, et ei mingit ujumist, sest mõõn. (ja üldse, mis ujumine see meres ujumine ka on.) mingid suplemiseks sobivad jõekäärud (vesi: puusani, kui mitte ainult põlvini) olen aastatega ka avastanud, järved on pigem kõik eraomanduses ja ligipääsmatud (või asuvad Lake Districtis, 300 miili kaugusel), veehoidlates ujumine rangelt keelatud.
ja siis on keset Londoni linna, Hampstead Heathi pargis selline peidetud aare - tiik, puude vahel, mudase põhjaga (räägitakse. ei ole mul õnnestunud seda põhja katsuda), kalade, veelindude, kiilide ja muu juurdekuuluvaga. päris metsajärv see muidugi ei ole, seal on aed ümber ja väravas tuleb pilet osta ja vetelpääste kontrollib, mitu inimest korraga ujuda saab. dušš jm infrastruktuur on ka, aga üsna tagasihoidlik. ja see kõik on reserveeritud naistele (keelatud on mehed, lapsed, koerad ja transistorraadiod). meeste tiik ja segatiik on samas pargis ka olemas, aga need ei ole üldse samasugused.
daamide tiik on hästihoitud avalik saladus - kes teab, see teab ja käib, üllatavalt paljud ei tea ja üllatavalt paljud ei hooliks, kui ka teaks, sest wild swimming on ikkagi justkui tavalisest ujumisest mingi täiesti erinev hobi. suvisel sooja ilmaga nädalavahetusel on ümbritsevad päevitamisniidud tihkelt naisi täis ja vettepääsemiseks tuleb seista elavas järjekorras (üks välja, üks sisse). aga on ka terve kogukond pigem vanemaid daame, kes ujub aasta läbi - lihtsalt ei lõpeta sügisel ära ja nii ta läheb.
see raamat on esseekogumik inimestelt, kellel daamide tiigis ujumise kogemus olemas. paljud on tõelised veteranid - mäletavad, kuidas see kõik 60ndatel oli ja/või elavad naabermajas ja/või töötavad vabatahtliku vetelpäästjana. nende lood olidki mu jaoks kõige nauditavamad. nooremate kirjutajate esseed rääkisid ehk minu maitse jaoks veidi liiga palju neist endist ja vähe ujumisest. samas, seal räägiti ära need lood, mis ju ka asjasse puutusid ja rääkimist tahtsid... näiteks abordist ja transseksuaalsusest.
kõigist neist lugudest jäi mu jaoks enim kõlama... naise suhe ta enda kehaga läbi elu ja aastate. ja veega. kõik need kirjeldused, mis tunne täpselt on sellesse vette astuda või hüpata, mismoodi tundub esimene ja mismoodi järgmised tõmbed, kuidas kirvendab välja tulles nahk ja kuidas täpselt kleepuvavõitu vesi sellelt maha voolab (see vee kleepumise teema on läbiv! ei ole ta nii kleepuv midagi mu meelest, tavaline järvevesi. aga eks see ongi tavalisest basseiniveest erinev). kuidas talvel tuleb ujumiseks vahel jäässe rada sisse murda ja suvel tuleb peale tohutu talveigatsus. ja peaaegu mitte keegi ei jäta mainimata mõnd kohtumist udusulis pardipoegadega või etteheitva pilguga haigrut, kes sind mingi puunoti pealt jälgib.
see läbi kogu talve ujumine tundub mulle järjest parema ideena. mul tegelikult oli sügisel isegi plaanis (täies teadmatuses sellest, milline trend saab talisuplus olema 2020/2021 talvel), aga alguses mingi reoveejama ja siis pandeemia tõttu on tiik poolest septembrist suletud olnud ja avatakse uuesti märtsi lõpus. kas aprillis on hilja taliujumisega alustada?
April 22, 2020
" Here, my sense of myself was altered, the cold too shocking to focus on sorrow and confusion when the useful thing was courage, and when my heart steadied, and I realised I was not going to die, the exhilaration hit me and I felt dizzyingly grateful to be alive. " - Esther Freud
I adored this book. I read it in three sittings and that was only because I tried to pace myself. I normally struggle with books that are comprised of short stories or essays. I tend to lose interest or forget it on the nightstand, however, this one was utterly fascinating to me. Officially open to the public in 1925 (though unofficially in use long before that), the Hampstead Ladies' Pond is open year round to swimmers. This book is a collection of essays on the experiences of different ladies who use the pond during the year.
"As night falls, we slip into the water and swim across the mirror. As the water turns black in the dimming light, we open our eyes beneath the surface and suddenly we're not swimmers anymore, but astronauts; star sailors. We are floating through a silky, thick black, as bottomless as the night sky." -Nell Frizzle
Each of the essayists brings a unique experience and culture to the Pond. I learned about the Mandarin alphabet, obtaining visas, disillusionment with the female body, the yearning for Quietening which means leaving your phone and the outside world for a spell, a lifeguard's perspective on maintaining order in the Pond, how the Pond healed a homesick New Zealander, the physical stamina and mental fortitude to be a year round swimmer, but ultimately I loved the solace I found in comforting words from these women. The recognition that we all have universally similar struggles along with unique ones that inspired my empathy. This was such a beautiful book. It will be one that I reread- which is a rarity for me!
I adored this book. I read it in three sittings and that was only because I tried to pace myself. I normally struggle with books that are comprised of short stories or essays. I tend to lose interest or forget it on the nightstand, however, this one was utterly fascinating to me. Officially open to the public in 1925 (though unofficially in use long before that), the Hampstead Ladies' Pond is open year round to swimmers. This book is a collection of essays on the experiences of different ladies who use the pond during the year.
"As night falls, we slip into the water and swim across the mirror. As the water turns black in the dimming light, we open our eyes beneath the surface and suddenly we're not swimmers anymore, but astronauts; star sailors. We are floating through a silky, thick black, as bottomless as the night sky." -Nell Frizzle
Each of the essayists brings a unique experience and culture to the Pond. I learned about the Mandarin alphabet, obtaining visas, disillusionment with the female body, the yearning for Quietening which means leaving your phone and the outside world for a spell, a lifeguard's perspective on maintaining order in the Pond, how the Pond healed a homesick New Zealander, the physical stamina and mental fortitude to be a year round swimmer, but ultimately I loved the solace I found in comforting words from these women. The recognition that we all have universally similar struggles along with unique ones that inspired my empathy. This was such a beautiful book. It will be one that I reread- which is a rarity for me!
November 16, 2020
A breath of fresh air during the midst of lockdown 2.0.
I loved the essays by Nell Frizzell, Ava Wong Davies, Sharlene Teo and Nina Mingya Powles, and am determined to try out wild swimming myself - and ultimately finally make it to the Ladies Pond - next summer if I can!
I loved the essays by Nell Frizzell, Ava Wong Davies, Sharlene Teo and Nina Mingya Powles, and am determined to try out wild swimming myself - and ultimately finally make it to the Ladies Pond - next summer if I can!
January 20, 2022
This makes me want to go cold water swimming even more!
March 8, 2025
A lovely collection of watery, floating, aquatic based reflections on swimming at Hampstead Ladies' Pond.
This place sounds divine, cocooned, protected and one final sanctuary in the modern world where women can feel safe when they're alone and semi-naked without being mauled, leered at or judged.
A brilliant set of essays.
Quickly read but very much enjoyed.
This place sounds divine, cocooned, protected and one final sanctuary in the modern world where women can feel safe when they're alone and semi-naked without being mauled, leered at or judged.
A brilliant set of essays.
Quickly read but very much enjoyed.
September 19, 2021
Dit was alles wat ik nodig had deze zomer deze essays zullen voor altijd favoriet blijven.
(Ga ik nu naar London om daar in een vijver te zwemmen? Ja. Ja dat ga ik.)
(Ga ik nu naar London om daar in een vijver te zwemmen? Ja. Ja dat ga ik.)
August 22, 2021
Divided by the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn), we have a collection of essays from numerous female writers who have all visited the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond in Heath. They write about their experiences there. For many, it is an escape from anxiety, modern technology, or family struggles.
I loved reading all of the different women’s writing styles on this. It was cute, but I don’t think it offered much for me. Although I resonated with many phrases and stories, I didn’t feel as though they had anything new to offer me. The introspective-ness of the essays was nice and all, but eh. Good short read, but not a favorite.
I loved reading all of the different women’s writing styles on this. It was cute, but I don’t think it offered much for me. Although I resonated with many phrases and stories, I didn’t feel as though they had anything new to offer me. The introspective-ness of the essays was nice and all, but eh. Good short read, but not a favorite.
July 21, 2024
This book has been on my list for such a long time now and I’m so happy I was able to tick it off today! I discovered Hampstead in my first month of living in London (September 2021), fell in love (as most do) and have kept coming back ever since. From the pergola and parliament hill, to the heath centre, and all the little lanes, you truly find yourself in a different, magical realm; much needed given the hectic and tremendous speed at which London continuously moves. Where that magic really culminates is around the ponds - 11 tiny lakes all around the forest of which 3 can be swum in. The ponds formally opened nearly a 100 years ago (1925), but have existed for much longer than that. In the case of the ladies ponds, entire generations of women have been coming there every week of the year, for decades on end. This book contains essays about the pond written by different authors. They each find a way to tap into that magic to draw up their own pond for you to immerse and bathe yourself in.
Reading this after a dip in said waters and as I am about to move out of London felt almost cathartic. Embracing the emotions and experiences of others whilst being able to link it to my own including many memories of hampstead runs or hot summer day swims with friends, filled with nervous excitement of how the summer would unfold - I just feel very grateful to have made some of this place my own.
contemplated for a while if this was a 4 or 5-stars-situation, but decided it just had to be 5 now, doesn’t it?
‘If Singapore, the country I come from, is a perfectly nice place, why did I want, so adamantly, to stay in London? At the time, my answer was obvious. London was the city where I gained what Gustave Flaubert termed my sentimental education - those wobbling steps taken in the early twenties toward empathy and something approaching wisdom, or at least the softly cynical benefit of hindsight. If I went back to Singapore I was worried I’d regress into the more babyish person I’d worked so hard to outgrow.’
Reading this after a dip in said waters and as I am about to move out of London felt almost cathartic. Embracing the emotions and experiences of others whilst being able to link it to my own including many memories of hampstead runs or hot summer day swims with friends, filled with nervous excitement of how the summer would unfold - I just feel very grateful to have made some of this place my own.
contemplated for a while if this was a 4 or 5-stars-situation, but decided it just had to be 5 now, doesn’t it?
‘If Singapore, the country I come from, is a perfectly nice place, why did I want, so adamantly, to stay in London? At the time, my answer was obvious. London was the city where I gained what Gustave Flaubert termed my sentimental education - those wobbling steps taken in the early twenties toward empathy and something approaching wisdom, or at least the softly cynical benefit of hindsight. If I went back to Singapore I was worried I’d regress into the more babyish person I’d worked so hard to outgrow.’
January 4, 2025
I have had this on my bookshelf for years now saving it for the perfect sunny day to read at the ponds. Turns OUT the perfect day was in cold January because it made me all excited for summer but also appreciative of all there is to get from both nature and London in the WINTER!
A beautiful little collection. Want to go ponds swim right NOW but alas my body is not temperature acclimatised
A beautiful little collection. Want to go ponds swim right NOW but alas my body is not temperature acclimatised
December 18, 2022
Literally the perfect read-in-a-day
April 28, 2023
i'm packing my things and moving to london so i can wake up insanely early and go to the heath all year long
(also, this book is never leaving the premises of my bookshelf)
(also, this book is never leaving the premises of my bookshelf)
September 18, 2019
An otherworldly, dreamy collection (particularly as this is technically non-fiction) which perfectly reflects the experience of bathing in the women's pond on Hampstead Heath which I was in a lucky position to be able to do this summer.
The real magic in this book was how it delves into the women's psyche using the common experience of the pond as a kind of portal. I enjoyed most essays, the contributions by poets especially so and feel delighted to have discovered some new voices.
A real London book.
The real magic in this book was how it delves into the women's psyche using the common experience of the pond as a kind of portal. I enjoyed most essays, the contributions by poets especially so and feel delighted to have discovered some new voices.
A real London book.
September 10, 2019
Nice book to read in tiny bits between other stuff. A bit repetitive and uneven, but leaves pleasant calmness and makes you want to go swimming.
May 5, 2024
Slabije od prethodne knjige, ali opet slatko. Doduše, malo mi je pokvarilo uživanje to što sam saznala da se mnogo toga promenilo na ovom jezercetu, pa koga zanima izvol'te link.
Takođe, ono što sam još saznala iz jedne usputne rečenice je da je neke od mojih dragih filmova kreirao tandem Merchant Ivory, za koje nisam do sada čula. Koga interesuje, evo takođe link.
Takođe, ono što sam još saznala iz jedne usputne rečenice je da je neke od mojih dragih filmova kreirao tandem Merchant Ivory, za koje nisam do sada čula. Koga interesuje, evo takođe link.
January 22, 2025
A couple of peculiar essays in there which didn’t gel with me… but overall did the job, quietening the mind before bed.
“The idea that wholesomeness does not have to be a thing snatched in gulps is something that is occurring to me more and more.”
“The idea that wholesomeness does not have to be a thing snatched in gulps is something that is occurring to me more and more.”
April 28, 2025
“As I walked down the path beside the sloping meadow, and stood on the wooden deck above the mud brown pond, I had the unusual sense that I was exquisitely lucky to be female.”
March 4, 2021
With a fear of open water, I read this to try and tackle some of the negative associations I have with it and hopefully start a journey into confidently swimming outdoors. The collection of short essays is so personal and shows how much the pond means or has meant to these women. The descriptions of the water are so similar across the different essays that there is a sense of shared consciousness that comes from swimming in this pond. I think I'll be sitting on some of the writing for a while and will one day attempt that open water swim.
August 25, 2024
In May I visited Hampstead, it was a beautiful spring day with an mid morning shower that left marls and I running across the heath seeking cover under the trees. Lush green fields, wild flowers, muddy swollen pathways. It was a dream and so very peaceful. The pathways that lead all around the heath delivers many new surrounds and ponds of all types. I was intrigued when I saw the sign for women only, men not allowed past this point. I wanted to venture down the pathway past the gate to the ladies pond but I felt that I would be interrupting the sacred sanctuary of the ladies pond especially having no intention of swimming myself and being dressed like a gazing tourist. I continued past still thinking and dreaming about what was beyond the gate. Would there be open fields, daily rituals, gatherings, fields of tiny flowers, lily pads, paddling birds?
Later that day I found myself in Waterstones on Hampstead High street, and spotted At The Pond. I wanted to know more and couldn’t resist the book. To all the women who swim through every season, through it all, you are an inspiration!
Later that day I found myself in Waterstones on Hampstead High street, and spotted At The Pond. I wanted to know more and couldn’t resist the book. To all the women who swim through every season, through it all, you are an inspiration!
January 19, 2025
Read in a corner of my local book store over the course of a few weeks (I buy a lot as well - support your local!!). Completely gorgeous, in love with the ladies ponds, these essays and all the women who wrote them
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September 25, 2024makes me wish I was a little duckling paddling around the pond forever
July 13, 2025
this was a divine read, pure bliss, much like the pond itself. one of the women in the book said london has a particular way of making you feel like a failure…real.
January 10, 2025
Every one these essays was like slipping into the silky mud waters of the Ladies Pond. Each tells a different story about the types of emotions, dreams, and insecurities that come up when surrounded by water and women in the middle of London. I loved it.
June 30, 2023
Read these at the pond 🥲
May 29, 2025
Absolutely loved this. Read this in anticipation of my move to London, as I’ve been grappling with the reality of losing my ocean swims at princess bay.
June 23, 2025
perfect for girls writing their heritage dissertations about a lake ❤️
December 31, 2021
This was such a comforting and dreamy read.
Fourteen women, from various ages and ethnicities, reminisced their time swimming at Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond. Their memories are divided into four seasons, starting from winter to autumn. Each woman has their own experience with the Pond, but they all can agree that the Pond is their second home. If a sense of belonging is a book, then At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond fits the description. Every essay describes how each woman feels welcomed; as if they're part of something--that they belong, no matter what time of the year or where you came from. Here, in the Pond, they can forget a bit about their mundane life and just existing. And that's powerful enough to me (note that I'm quite jealous since there's no pond or river to go wild swimming near me).
It was refreshing to read this book in my spare time. I have never been an outdoor person but At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond just made me yearn for a brief escape to somewhere faraway from the city.
Fourteen women, from various ages and ethnicities, reminisced their time swimming at Kenwood Ladies' Bathing Pond. Their memories are divided into four seasons, starting from winter to autumn. Each woman has their own experience with the Pond, but they all can agree that the Pond is their second home. If a sense of belonging is a book, then At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies' Pond fits the description. Every essay describes how each woman feels welcomed; as if they're part of something--that they belong, no matter what time of the year or where you came from. Here, in the Pond, they can forget a bit about their mundane life and just existing. And that's powerful enough to me (note that I'm quite jealous since there's no pond or river to go wild swimming near me).
It was refreshing to read this book in my spare time. I have never been an outdoor person but At the Pond: Swimming at the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond just made me yearn for a brief escape to somewhere faraway from the city.
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