There are moments where the sweetness goes over the top. I gagged when the Brownie troop joined the protest to save the pool, and I wondered how Rosemary could have dozens of sweet memories of George and not even a single resentful or ambiguous one. But these are relatively small concerns. Two landmark Hyde Park fountains are here as well – the Boy and Dolphin Fountain and Diana the Huntress Fountain. Discover the delights of The Dell The 1800s saw Hyde Park cement its reputation as a venue for national celebrations. In 1814, the Prince Regent organised fireworks to mark the end of the Napoleonic Wars and then, in 1851, the park hosted The Great Exhibition. This major international event celebrated industry, technology and culture from across the globe.

These highly decorated gates were installed to commemorate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The central screen, designed by David Wynne, unites two national symbols: the lion of England with the unicorn of Scotland. Kate is instantly charmed by Rosemary and the lido, and she makes this story much bigger than a small, forgettable one. She works with a photographer to piece it together through her interviews with Rosemary, and the community chips in, too, all in hopes of stopping the closure of the pool. This is the story of an unlikely collaboration: two women uniting to save a south London lido from imminent closure. Recent widow, 86-year-old Rosemary, and diligent, depressed young journalist Kate rally together with one goal: to save their local pool and in the process they end up saving each other. It is a heart-warming plot with strong ideas about community, friendship, and mental health. A compelling and uplifting read from the get go, The Lido is a charming tale of hope, of finding your feet in a big city and of learning to dive in at the deep end.The Pan statue, also known as Rush of Green, is a bronze statue depicting a family and their dog rushing eagerly towards the park, urged on by Pan who is playing pipes. Stop by and enjoy a lunch, an indulgent cream tea, hot chocolate or coffee at any of our cafés or kiosks – and look out for our vintage ice cream vans too. Our cafés and kiosks Telling the story of 86-year-old Rosemary who has lost her husband and sees her home town changing as the years pass by. Her only refuge is the Lido, that she has swam at since she was a young girl. Then there is Kate, a 26-year old with severe anxiety. She is a journalist at a local paper and feels the walls of loneliness closing in on her.

The park is a great place for a picnic! A selection of freshly cut sandwiches, artisan baguettes and drinks are available in our cafés and kiosks. We thought it was heart-warming without being gushingly sentimental and we cared about the characters and the situation they were trying to remedy. The book is about loneliness and the burgeoning friendship between two women. We felt as if we were in their lives and with them in their struggle to prevent the closure of their wonderful community asset. The fish lie on beds of ice, turning it from white to pink throughout the day and reminding you that you should never eat pink snow either" Many of the striking features you see today in Hyde Park were created in the 1700s by a keen royal gardener, Queen Caroline – wife of King George II. She annexed almost 300 acres from Hyde Park to form Kensington Gardens and separated the two parks with a long ditch or ha-ha – the first of its kind.Masha lives a life of self-imposed emotional isolation, in which grief and guilt have become her companions: “My grief has become an addiction; a bad habit like a tattered comfort blanket that I have held on to for far too long.” Rosemary agrees to the interview - but ONLY if Kate swims in the pool. Kate does, and following her interview with Rosemary, the two become loyal friends. The bandstand in Hyde Park is one of the oldest in Britain. It was built in 1869 and originally stood in Kensington Gardens, but moved to Hyde Park in 1886. The octagonal roof gives it particularly good acoustics. The lido is not just Rosemary’s solace, it is a solace for that young mother, a middle aged man, a young shy kid, school children coming to practice and countless others who come to ‘the lido’ to drown out their sorrows and find strength to manoeuvre life. The lido is that constant friend, welcoming everyone...day in and day out. The lido is that place where they can hear their inner voice and drown out the world. It’s their comfort place in this world. Rosemary is 86 years old, and daily visits her local lido for a swim; she has recently tried to stir up interest in saving the lido from being bought up and removed by high-end property developers. Despite spending her entire life in this South West London community centred around Brixton, and having numerous acquaintances Rosemary hasn't really opened up to anyone since the death of her husband, the love of her life. Local journalist Kate is 26 years old, and originally growing up in Bristol has really struggled to bond with Brixton and its people mostly due to her anxiety and the resulting loneliness. A moving and tale-of-our-times story about the power of community.