HISTORY OF KINGSTON LADIES SWIMMING CLUB

• THE FIRST YEARS
  
  The opening in 1897 of Kingston's first indoor swimming pool, the Corporation Baths in Wood Street, was the impetus for the founding of Kingston Ladies Swimming Club.
  Until that time swimming in Kingston took place in the River Thames. Between 1880 and 1892 Kingston's first public swimming pool was a floating platform in the Thames to the south of the town. Even after the opening of the Corporation Baths River swimming featured prominently in the Club's activities with numerous races in the River Thames held in the summer months.
  The first meeting of the Club was held on 4 May 1898. 24 Members were admitted

• THE COMPETITIVE SWIMMING YEARS

KLSC were a successful competitive club until the Coronation Baths closed in 1980 with about 150 members and nowhere to swim the competitive members were incorporated into Barracuda Swimming Club. KLSC continued as a teaching club at the Lady Eleanor Hollis School Hampton.
Synchronised Swimming
On 6th May 1989 KLSC reopened at the new Malden Centre as Surreys only Synchronised Swimming Club but not for the first time.
KLSC had first introduced Water Ballet in 1945. The Club took up Rhythmic Swimming after seeing a display by the Scottish club, Motherwell, at a Gala at Epsom.

In 1949 it was recorded that the finale of KLSC's Autumn Gala at the Coronation Baths provided an attractive display of rhythmic swimming to music and special lighting, which with the pool's underwater lighting, made the display more effective. In 1950 the Autumn Gala included a new display by the Rhythmic Team arranged by Mr Judd. The Surrey Comet reported "the under-water lighting, with additional coloured top lighting together with the special costumes, and made the display a delightful concluding item to the gala."

The team featured in a BBC Water Carnival from Ilford in 1953 with commentary by Peter West. It starred American Beulah Gundling who introduced synchronised swimming to the Helsinki Olympic Games. A reporter described KLSC performance, which followed that of Beulah; “but the best was yet to be. For, no less synchronised, a party of ladies from Kingston now entered the water wearing hussars’ shakos, and swam about saluting us between strokes first with the left hand and then the right; a heart-warming sight on a chilly evening.

The Rhythmic team appeared on television in Seeing Sport in 1957 when they performed three water ballets. The Radio Times reported that the team’s repertoire included the Parade of the toy soldiers in red tunics and pill box hats, the Banana Boat song in jeans and turbans and a tableau to the music of Swan Lake. Sadly because of lack of water time and the clubs other activities ie
Swimming and diving Rhythmic swimming had to be sacrificed (at that time there was no competitions for synchro.)

KLSC is in its 22nd successful year since reintroducing Synchronised Swimming to the Royal Borough.








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