1900 - 2100

Join us for our first film night of our 150th year! We will be screening The Ponds and our latest epic The Battle of the Bathmasters...

Tickets are £5 and bookable on Eventbrite  for members and friends.

The Ponds - Still Waters Run Deep (2018)

The ponds at Hampstead Heath have been popular swimming spots since the 1700s, after people took to the water for its iron-rich qualities. These days the three ponds are packed through summer, but there is also a hardcore group of fanatics who take to the water through its coldest days. Swimmers from both the men’s and ladies’ ponds share their reverence for the powers of the cold water, and regular swims on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day bring everyone together; the fun of it is addictive. The swimmers reveal how through the highs and lows in their lives, the ponds have provided a space for healing and respite from emotional and physical pain, and have been a constant source of freedom.

Directed by PATRICK MCLENNAN, SAMUEL SMITH

Runtime 74 MINUTES

Certificate 12

The Battle of the Bathmasters (2021)

In 1879, an exchange of letters in the newspapers between Mr William Wilson, the first Arlington Club bathsmaster, and his replacement Mr Robertson, led to a media spat centred on the skills of the women that Mrs Wilson was teaching to swim.

In the end it was decided to hold a public swimming contest to settle the dispute!

But who would be victorious?

This film was made with funding from Sporting Heritage, which brings together the UK's sporting collections and the people who care for them.

Directed by LUCY JANES

Runtime 5 MINUTES 20 SECONDS