The Dolphin Centre was a

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

and leisure facility in

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romfo ...

, in the

London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. Th ...

, England. The Dolphin center Romford

History

Havering London Borough Council Havering London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Havering is divided into 18 wards, each elec ...

approved the design and £7.5 million construction of the Dolphin Centre in April 1980; it was named after a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

which existed in the nearby

Romford Market Romford Market is a large open market with 270 stalls,Havering London Borough Council< ...

from 1630 to 1900. When the centre was opened in April 1982, by

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, (Richard Alexander Walter George; born 26 August 1944) is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, as wel ...

, it had a state-of-the-art pyramid roof (the first of its kind in Europe). However, corrosion and the collapse of one of the panels in the roof led to it being draped with netting in 1990 to calm safety fears. As well as the swimming pool, with its slides and wave machine, the Dolphin also contained a

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational i ...

nasium and

squash courts Squash is a racket-and-ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. Th ...

, and acted as a community functions centre for meetings, social events and exhibitions. After thirteen years, the Dolphin Centre was closed to the public in April 1995 in the face of escalating operating costs and repayments on the finance lease. The site remained derelict until June 2003 when it was agreed to demolish the centre and build a new 15-storey residential

tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdicti ...

, providing over 200 new homes, above an

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...

supermarket there. Demolition of the Dolphin Centre commenced in July 2004 and construction of the new development began in October 2004.

References

External links

History of Romford: Dolphin Centre

{{coords, 51.579, 0.184, display=title Defunct sports venues in London Sports venues in London Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Havering Sports venues completed in 1982 Sports venues demolished in 2004 Romford 1982 establishments in England Demolished sports venues in the United Kingdom