The Janet Adegoke Centre
In 1935, the Janet Adegoke Centre was called Open Air Baths.
The Open Air Baths changed in 1980. Also the name changed to White City Pools.
Eight years after White City Pools, the name changed to Janet Adegoke but the building stayed the same.
As the Janet Adegoke Centre developed, they added things like waves which went on for about one and a half minutes.
The small pool was for children learning to swim.
Older children started to play sports like football and basketball.
Crystal
Palace Women's Basketball team, 1988
Janet Adegoke Centre was knocked down in 2003.
The Janet Adegoke in 1980 was called White City Pools. Janet Adegoke became mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham and when she died in 1987, the swimming pool was re-named Janet Adegoke in 1988.
Janet Adegoke will go down in history as the first black mayor in London. She came from Africa to England to study here. She spent 12 years before joining the council fighting to improve homes and conditions. She also raised three children by herself.
Sadly Janet died at the age of 45 on the 1st October 1987.
"This
is why it's called after her. She was a lovely lady and she did a lot for
people in the community, on the Estate itself. And that's how she became
the first Black female Mayor which was a wonderful achievement." Eve
"We
have an archive - myself and other tenants of White City when we were
interviewed by the Council in 1988, to see how they could improve White
City. So they're still improving White City. Unfortunately the Janet
had to go because of the structure of the building." Jean