One of the best things to happen to the High Wall was the 1970 Commonwealth Games and the decision to build the swimming pool just up the road fae us.
Once aw they Fancy Dan Australian swimmers used it for a week or so then pissed aff, the facility was left tae the bairns of the South Side, Craigmillar, Niddrie and anywhere else on the Route number 14 bus.
For the High Wall boys it was a 5 minute pad up the road wi yer towel and trunks under yer airm. Every Friday night we were there along wi thoosands o' other bairns. It was always right busy and the pool looked like bairn soup. They also probably used mair chlorine in the Commie on a Friday than the Germans did during the whole Ypres campaign.
Yer locker money got you a key which you slotted into a colour coded rubber band. Then you were off, daein' bombs off the divin' boards, pishin in the pool and generally havin' a rare auld time. Some paedo type lifeguard was aye blawin' a whistle and givin' ye a row, but we didnae care.
You usually had to queue up to get in and they did it in 1/2 hour timed sessions, each wi a different band colour. The scoreboard had the coloured boxes, and they lit up when yer time was up. The tannoy would tell ye tae get oot as well. You would always try to get an extra half hour when the light changed to tell you tae get oot, but if the paedo spotted yer band, that was the game up. Ye had to hit the showers and scrabble aboot for the remains o' a Vosene shampoo sachet wi a wee bit left in it. Quite often the paedo would hang aboot the showers tae make sure ye left and didnae try tae sneak back in. Aye right!!
Then came the best bit, Bratissani's. You got chips wi the locker money, they always tasted barry. Mind you anything tasted barry after a few hours of swallowing large amounts o' pish and chlorine.
I passed the Commie the other day and saw it's getting a full refit. Good to see it's still there but back in oor day it was a proper affordable baths open tae awbody.
New yin does look barry though.
3 comments:
Ahd forgot oh aboot the 'POOL'. Mind wi didnae say wi wir goin tae the Commonwealth pool wi jist said the 'POOL'or as Alien Orders says the 'COMMIE'. Ah kin mind bein there once wi the boys fi the High Wall amongst others Arkos. Wi wir jist commin oot oh the changin rooms and trying no tae huv tae wade through yon foot trough wi the highly suspicious chemicals thit wir meant tae stop ye fae gettin foot sick or as ma Dad aye said 'Chinkie Rot' no really PC nooadays is it. Any way ah wanderin, wir tryin tae avoid the chemicals bit thirs aye a paedo watchin an eh shouts at Arkos "Son, git yir soaks aff. yir no comin in here wi yir soaks oan!"
Arkos gos oh rid an hangs his heid,an says "Thir no soaks its hair!" aye eh wiz a wee bit hairyer thin we wir at the time and the paedo wiz a wee bit short on the lookin side but it wiz a fuckin hoot!
I they wir the days.
Quality post - fir me and ma muckers it wiz a walk doon Clerie Hill and a number 31 up the bridges to the Commie. Seemed like half a days journey so we only did it once in a blue moon.
We used to spend yonks hingin aboot the top board tryin tae pluck up the courage tae jump aff. Nivir did likes.
And i wiz goany mention Bratisani's anaw - quality chippy. Is it okay to say that we used tae call it Braw tits an fannies? Sorry.
Aye, The Commie Pool. It was right busy when it first opened & like Alien Orders says they did have some kind of Logan's Run type thing involving coloured armbands and the tannoy screaming "Yer times up!". But I think that as time went on & it got quieter, eventually you could stay in as long as you liked. And we did! We used to come out with skin mair wrinkled than an elephant's foreskin & then went and sat (yeah, really sat down!) in the shower under the free hot water. Then once out it was a trip to the chippy or a wee shop next to Preston Street School for some sweets.
Mind you I remember also picking up some "free gifts" at the Commie in the shape of ugly & painful verrucas. Yon things really made yer feet hurt & worse of all it meant that while you had them you couldnae go swimmin! My Old Man used to have a wee tin of cream in the bathroom cupboard that used to kill those things deader than Clint Eastwood's Magnum. The stuff was called "Pickles Foot Cream" A wee dod of yon stuff on it and a plaster & Bobs Yer Uncle. After a few days on the verucca pulled away from yer foot when you peeled the plaster off. Mind you it took off quite a bit of healthy skin too! The cream is probably banned now for health reasons!
Aye happy days!
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