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Swimming Pools

South Norwood Leisure Centre

📍 London, Greater London

3.8(494 Google reviews)👶All ages

Swimming-focused leisure centre in South Norwood with a learner pool at ideal depth for young children. Free parking available — a rare local bonus. Small gym on site with sparse equipment. No cafe; Tesco with Costa machine is next door.

Excellent learner poolHelpful staffFree parkingCramped gymsparse equipment
★★★★Featured review by Karen Hey

Another swim for all session with my 4 year old grandson. Learner pool is the perfect depth. Usually very quiet and didn't need to prebook. Showers hot, changing rooms clean, hairdryers work. Staff were helpful as I didn't have a £1 coin so they looked around for a token to lend to me as the reception is cashless.

🏆 Family Action Verdict

Best for families with young children — particularly under-5s — who want calm, low-traffic pool access with good staff support. The learner pool depth is well-suited to beginners. Families needing a gym alongside the pool will find the space too cramped. No cafe means bringing snacks; the Tesco next door fills the gap adequately.

ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go

💡Bring a coin for lockers or ask staff for a token — reception will help if you don't have one
Learner pool is consistently quiet and shallow enough for young beginners
🎟️Free parking on site — arrive by car if travelling with young children and equipment
🚗No cafe — the Tesco adjacent to the centre is the practical option for refreshments

💬 What Families Are Saying

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3.8

494 Google reviews

Learner pool well-suited to young children40%
Helpful staff25%
Cramped and under-equipped gym25%
Free parking10%
K

Karen Hey

7 months ago

Another swim for all session with my 4 year old grandson. Learner pool is the perfect depth. Usually very quiet and didn't need to prebook. Showers hot, changing rooms clean, hairdryers work. Staff were helpful as I didn't have a £1 coin so they looked around for a token to lend to me as the reception is cashless.

J

James Staniforth

6 months ago

Very small gym, often very busy, with limited equipment. Whoever built the leisure centre wasn't a very good architect, as there really isn't enough space for a gym in the first place. At least one piece of equipment is always broken. Better should have a serious look at the layout of the centre as a whole. I doubt they will, but the only real solution is to do something drastic like turn the spinning room into a weights room and the gym into a cardio room. This would improve things significantly for long term members, rather than people who dip in for a couple of classes a year. Realistically, it's probably the worst equipped gym in the area for quite a distance. Staff are nice though and the place is clean. Still, if you're deciding between this gym and another, I'd recommend going for the other one unless it's much further away. Advice to Better: take a long, hard look at this centre in particular as it's far below your usual standards.

M

Ms O

7 years ago

The gym is small and there isn't enough equipment. Due to the limited space, the machines are crammed in together which can seen a little claustrophobic at times. Most of the 'life fitness' cardio machines are okay, however some needed repair. The weights area seemed cramped and there wasn't an area for stretching or floorwork. The gym seemed to be full, keep in mind that I visited during off-peak hours, which are supposed to be the least busy period of the gym. This is undoubtedly due to the small size of the gym. The saving grace is the free car park and low cost on street parking surrounding the gym.

C

Claire Sommers

8 years ago

Staff I met are polite and knowledgeable but there is no cafe for refreshment, I guess they rely on the tesco next door that has a Costa machine, but even that doesn't serve tea! So not a good start, then their water aerobics class is only in 1 evening a week, what about us that want to do daytimes and not go out at night! Quite limited to me it seems, especially compared to the other Fushion fitness centre in Thornton heath High street. There is disabled access though

Reviews from Google

Overview

South Norwood Leisure Centre centres on its swimming pool and learner pool, with the learner pool depth and quiet atmosphere specifically praised for young children. Staff are consistently described as helpful, including sourcing locker tokens when visitors lack coins. The gym is compact with a restricted equipment range and frequent out-of-order machines. No cafe on site.

🕐 Opening Hours

Monday08:00 – 16:00
Tuesday06:00 – 22:00
Wednesday06:00 – 22:00
Thursday06:00 – 22:00
Friday06:00 – 22:00
Saturday06:00 – 22:00
Sunday08:00 – 17:00

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