Making a Splash at Freemen's!

The opening ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque by The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London in the presence of the Lady Mayoress, School Governors and members of the Hawkins\Brown architectural team.

The new facility, designed by architects Hawkins\Brown, provides a 25m, six lane competition pool, with changing facilities and a multi-purpose teaching and events space. It replaces the school’s original pool building, which a fire destroyed in 2014 and relocates from the west to the east side of the campus, next to the existing sports facilities.

Roland Martin, Headmaster of Freemen’s, commented: “The School is overwhelmed by the beauty and quality of the new swimming pool – it is a fantastic new asset for our School and local community.”

The swimming pool marks the second phase of a 4-stage masterplan by City of London Freemen’s School with a view to improve the quality of the school’s listed campus setting. Completed in 2014, the first phase saw the delivery of a new music school and a boarding house for 60 pupils. Future phases include the refurbishment of the Grade II* Listed Main House, a new playground and enhancements to the landscaping of the school grounds.

Adam Cossey, Partner at Hawkins\Brown, said: “Freemen’s School’s new swimming pool is a welcoming retreat that engages with the mature woodland setting through the use of natural materials and colour schemes. The deep columns of the all-timber construction and wrap around glazing, which afford direct views from the water into the woodland, give the sense of swimming amongst the trees.”