Surbiton Lagoon

A Memory of Surbiton.

I just loved Surbiton Lagoon. Me and my twin sister lived in Alexandra Drive, just around the corner and we were good friends with the manager's son Vaughan Hancock. In the scorching hot summer of 1976 we were 14. My mum worked at the Lagoon so we got in free. We spent all the summer holidays there and 'bagged' our sun bathing spot on the stairs at the 5ft marker. This is because me, my twin (Nicola) and our girlfriends were all in love with the hunky life guard called Paul who sat in the high seat there. To this day I can recall assistant manager, Alan Ridley (who incidently became a teacher at Tolworth Girls) shouting 'Get out of the cascade!' over the public address system. We were also in a sit com which was filmed there. It was called 'The Secret Life of Edgar Briggs' starring David Jason! John Pertwee, aka Dr Who, attended at an RNLI fundraiser . He arrived in a flourish in a trendy sports car with the top down and wearing his trademark velvet jacket with flouncey blouse. Us kids were at the top of the car park waiting for him and all ran after him cheering as we went. My sister and I were lucky enough to be inside the Daleks which were there, trundling around the pool. After it had finished we went to a reception which John attended. He was talking to my sister and I for ages and told us that he went out with a twin and went on holiday with her BUT they had played a trick on him and the wrong twin went. Put ideas in our head which we never had the guts to carry out. Such sunny carefree days - absolutely brilliant! I do miss it and when I walk through the park there now think of those fab times. I swear I can still smell chorine!!