The History of Woking Swimming Club

The original Woking swimming pool was open air and on the site of the Pool in the Park, and built around the turn of the century. Railway sleepers formed the bottom and corrugated iron the surrounds. Not surprisingly, it was closed for health reasons as it became impossible to see the bottom. The Payne cup, still awarded at the Club Championships was given by a W Payne, a local plumber and builder, and was first competed for in 1910.

Before the War

In 1935, following a petition organised by a Mr Dixon, a local teacher, an open-air pool was built, and Woking Swimming Club formed. Annual galas were staged by the Club in conjunction with the council's summer programme of local events and inter club galas were introduced. The gold medallist at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, a German called Peter de Jardine, gave an exhibition of springboard diving at one event.

During the Second World War, the Club largely went into abeyance. The Woking Service of Youth Organisation continued to run annual galas, with prizes such as savings stamps. The Rose Bowl was first given to the swimmer with the best performance during one of these wartime galas. Later, this award was changed to the best performance by a swimmer living in the Woking area. It continues to today to be awarded at the Club Championships in December for the most outstanding performance by a Club member during the previous year. This Cup can only be awarded once to the same swimmer.

After the War

When Woking Club reformed after the war, the Woking Service of Youth galas came to an end, but an association of swimming clubs was set up - Guildford, Aldershot, Farnham, Woking and briefly the Blue Pool at Camberley. Each club held a gala, and ran a water polo team, during the season.
After many years, a petition to have a year round pool was organised by Tony Ledger, a life long supporter of the club. Tony still plays an active part in the running of the Club as our race starter. The Council originally opposed the petition. But with the support and help from members of the communist party, Lifesaving Clubs and parents of swimmers, the petition was raised containing 17,000 signatures of residents in the area.

The New Pool

At the time, a Woking Councillor H.O.M Herbert said, "There will be a man on the moon before Woking has a covered pool'. And indeed this proved to be the case, but in 1973 the Woking Centre Pool opened which became the home of WSC. This was sited where the current Toys R Us store and car park are located. In May 1989 it was closed for development, and in August of the same year, the Pool in the Park (named by a Woking swimmer) opened as the home of Woking Swimming Club. It has been so ever since.

Modern Times

The club gained in strength during this period and started to become a major recognised swimming force in the county during the 1970's under the direction and influence of Margaret Cunningham, the club coach and her husband.

Margaret herself had had a distinguished swimming career appearing for Scotland with appearances in the Commonwealth Games. Around this time also, the performance of two swimmers under the direction of Margaret particularly stood out. These were Julian Lock and Nicola Prince. Both became gold medal swimmers at the Surrey County Championships. Special mention has also to be made of two Woking swimmers whose performances, more recently, have been particularly notable. Both have been awarded life membership of the club. These are Stewart Carroll and Nick Shackell.

Stewart represented the club in many galas and won both County and Southern County gold medals. As a result of his swimming abilities he won a swimming scholarship to the University of Iowa in the United States. He also appeared in the British National Olympic trials. Stewart has held many of the longest standing backstroke, free and individual medley records in the club.

More recently is the story of Nick Shackell. Nick's stay with the club did not last as long. He joined at the age of 9, and stayed for about three years until his family moved to Australia. In Australia he developed his skills further training at a National Centre for Swimming Excellence and returned to England keeping in contact with the club whilst he studied for his A levels at Millfield. Following this he moved to the USA and took up a swimming scholarship at the UCLA in California after which he moved to a University in Alabama.

His time was well spent in the pool over these years. He went on to represent England in the Commonwealth Games in 1994, and then Great Britain in Atlanta in the Olympics in 1996. The club is extremely pleased that his career and interest in swimming was first started at Woking.