All Day Swimming Pool

Leigh Beck


I have been asked a couple of times about the pool at Leigh Beck and have just found the pictures.

It was a natural sea-water Swimming Pool, Three-hundred feet long by sixty feet wide, ideally situated near the mouth of Small Gains Creek. There were boats for hire and a cafe open all day. It was run by A. McCrerie of Benham Road.

On the left you can see Canvey Supplies Wharf. The building in the middle is one that there has been much discussion about and you can read what was said here.

The map at the bottom I would suggest shows the pool to the left as the body of water known as Croppenburg Lake. We know the building in the middle of the photo is the building to the left of the map near the  letters ‘Timb’ which is Canvey Supply. The pool/lake is still there but is just made up of soggy ground.

Comments about this page

  • This is a really interesting discovery. I think you’ll find that the pool is the enclosed area in the creek on your map is by the number 16 (Croppenburg Lake is the coincidently ‘ fish-like shape below it). This enclosed pool has been the subject of a couple pages previously. Unfortunately I can’t find them at present but I know a made a comment about mooring my boat there. Today I think the enclosure is still there even if the walls are so eroded you can still see the original dimensions. The cafe became the first clubhouse of the Island Yacht Club. I quote fron Nick Ardley’s history of the Club.” Mr A. McCrerie reluctantly became the first Commodore. McCrerie was a quiet and retiring man but being the owner of the only good jetty with a hard and a floating cafe which he offered as a temporary clubhouse..It was a unanimous decision.”

    By Graham Stevens (25/01/2015)
  • Just found the page: Small Gains Creek, posted 24/9/12. John Pharro’s comment at the bottom bares out the swimming pool connection. Sorry unintended pun obviously there was ‘ No Skinny Dipping’.

    By Graham Stevens (25/01/2015)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.