A wild swimming lake is opening in south London following a surge in popularity for the sport.
It will officially open on Saturday July 20 at Beckenham Place Park as part of a £6.8 million regeneration of the Georgian mansion and its 237-acre grounds.
The 285-metre lake, which is 3.5 metres at its deepest, will take up to 60 swimmers and has a jetty from which water sports will be offered.
Similar projects are being considered for Wimbledon Park lake and the duck pond in Broomfield Park, Palmers Green. Outdoor swimming is already well established at the Hampstead Ponds.
According to Sport England, the number of people taking part in open water swimming regularly (at least twice in the past 28 days) rose by more than 80 per cent between 2016-17 and 2017-18, from 266,500 to 490,660.
