The Thompson Centre

[casualclaret]

Did think the TC was showing its age by the time the decision to close it was made. Needed a damn good clean at the very least. Not used St Peters much but the few times I've used it the pool was freezing! Better gym but not as many squash courts.

[gandhisflipflop]

The Thompson Centre was a fantastic facility in its time.

Pat taught myself and my eldest son to swim and has only very recently retired. Top man.

Is that the bloke with the eye patch?

[tiger76]

If I remember rightly, the big pool was shallow at both ends and deep in the middle.

Yes that rings true to me as well. Probably why I avoided going in the middle.

Of course you'd always get some older wag who'd try and push you in if you were standing near the edge.

[yTib]

i could only get about half way down the diving pool before my ears felt like caving in.

[Funkydrummer]

I can't remember the exact figure, but the main pool was something like 1 foot short of
being olympic size and therefore was unable to host major swimming events. I don't think
the designer was very popular at the time when this came to light.

I worked for the council from 1970 to 1986 and long lunches were a regular feature - playing badminton,
squash, the gym but mainly the lunchtime 5 a-side league which, to say the least, was very competitive.

I distinctly remember once playing the more sedate game of table tennis in some back room somewhere and in walked
Phil Mathews and a "friend" who then started started laying into each other (with gloves on) and frightened the life
of us. Blood and snot was everywhere.

Then over to the Cattle Market for pie and peas and a pint.

[longsidetrumpet]

I can't remember the exact figure, but the main pool was something like 1 foot short of
being olympic size and therefore was unable to host major swimming events. I don't think
the designer was very popular at the time when this came to light.

I worked for the council from 1970 to 1986 and long lunches were a regular feature - playing badminton,
squash, the gym but mainly the lunchtime 5 a-side league which, to say the least, was very competitive.

I distinctly remember once playing the more sedate game of table tennis in some back room somewhere and in walked
Phil Mathews and a "friend" who then started started laying into each other (with gloves on) and frightened the life
of us. Blood and snot was everywhere.

Then over to the Cattle Market for pie and peas and a pint.

Ah the lunchtime five a side league was brilliant, very competitive, the brainchild of the lovely Gerald Thompson I believe. We also used to adjourn to the Cattle Market for pie and peas I’m sure we only played on Fridays???
I played for the Burnley Express who did you play for?

[yTib]

i remember being told the big pool was 33 metres but it always seemed bigger to me.

but everything does when you're a kid.

[Funkydrummer]

Ah the lunchtime five a side league was brilliant, very competitive, the brainchild of the lovely Gerald Thompson I believe. We also used to adjourn to the Cattle Market for pie and peas I’m sure we only played on Fridays???
I played for the Burnley Express who did you play for?

Borough engineers with Steve Pickup, Gerry McEvoy, Kevin Leadbitter and a couple of others
that I can't remember (it's that long ago !!!)

All I can remember from the Burnley Express was Keith Franzke (sp) who used to review new albums.

Bloody great days

[Funkydrummer]

Oh yes, Gerald Thompson (no relation) was a lovely guy. I've still got a small booklet that he gave me
with details of how to mix your own ingredients for differing plant food. He was a staunch member
of The Allotments Association. Smashing guy.

[longsidetrumpet]

Borough engineers with Steve Pickup, Gerry McEvoy, Kevin Leadbitter and a couple of others
that I can't remember (it's that long ago !!!)

All I can remember from the Burnley Express was Keith Franzke (sp) who used to review new albums.

Bloody great days

Yes Keith was our star player. Long-time mates with Steve P and played Sunday League football with him and Gerry, and Keith too for that matter. Express Clarets reporter Peter Higgs also played, not a bad player
I must know you

[arise_sir_charge]

For fear of being reprimanded by the local planning officer who got upset about the car park anecdote…..I was told the pool was 33m and that they had planned to build an Olympic pool but got the dimensions wrong and so ended up with the unusual 33m length.

[what_no_pies]

Epic kids Christmas parties with visits from Santa, inflatable assault courses, awkward disco's and what not. Bedlam, but utterly brilliant at the same time.

Also have memories of the odd cockroach being discovered. Place was riddled apparantly.

Getting two choccy bars out the vending machine for the price of one.

Running riot through the viewing galleries and stairwells. The space itself was as much of an arena for play as the facilities they aimed to provide.

Great memories.

[ClaretTony]

Borough engineers with Steve Pickup, Gerry McEvoy, Kevin Leadbitter and a couple of others
that I can't remember (it's that long ago !!!)

All I can remember from the Burnley Express was Keith Franzke (sp) who used to review new albums.

Bloody great days

Two of my old school classmates there, Steve Pickup & Keith Franzke (and your spelling is spot on). I see Steve from time to time but don’t think I’ve seen Keith since leaving school.

[Funkydrummer]

Yes Keith was our star player. Long-time mates with Steve P and played Sunday League football with him and Gerry, and Keith too for that matter. Express Clarets reporter Peter Higgs also played, not a bad player
I must know you

You probably will do, I played a lot of footy locally on both Saturday and Sunday.

[Funkydrummer]

Trumpet, Bombers by the way ?

[dougcollins]

Just found an old pic online of North Street baths, then come across this old pic of how they used to teach kids to swin in a lake if no baths were nearby, the kids of today don't know how lucky they are lol

Screenshot_20210908-133631_Gallery.jpg

Shark fishing has come on a lot since then.

[longsidetrumpet]

Trumpet, Bombers by the way ?

Err, yep!

[longsidetrumpet]

Two of my old school classmates there, Steve Pickup & Keith Franzke (and your spelling is spot on). I see Steve from time to time but don’t think I’ve seen Keith since leaving school.

You see me from time to time too! I last saw Keith on two of the home Europa League games we had, but that was the first time for ages. Think they were very rare visits to the Turf by Keith

[Funkydrummer]

Mmmmmmm !!!

[Funkydrummer]

You see me from time to time too! I last saw Keith on two of the home Europa League games we had, but that was the first time for ages. Think they were very rare visits to the Turf by Keith

Didn't Keith move on to a national music paper/magazine ? NME, Sounds or similar. Rings a vague bell.

[longsidetrumpet]

No. Daily Star for a while

[4:20]

Inflatables on a Saturday afternoon, Diving room full on kids hanging around on the top board with some plucking the courage to make the leap, slush puppies in the cafe after swimming and your tummy hurting.

School swimming lessons at Gannow and the whistle at the end followed by a bellowing "Outthebathsnowplease!" from the Super Mario lookalike and being dared to stand under the cold shower for a minute by year mates.

I loved Burnley's recreational facilities in the 90s

[tim_noone]

Just found an old pic online of North Street baths, then come across this old pic of how they used to teach kids to swin in a lake if no baths were nearby, the kids of today don't know how lucky they are lol

Screenshot_20210908-133631_Gallery.jpg

Loved North street baths.....hated central baths.

[tim_noone]

Central Baths for school swimming lessons for me.
30+ of us walking from Stoneyholme juniors, snaking through town and back with one teacher at the front and another bringing up the rear slapping stragglers about the head.
Happy days, not!

That's why I hated Central Baths...taken there by sadists....to be met by the ginger head instructor who taught you how to drown...

[Somethingfishy]

Mr grandparents were the mayor and mayoress when it was opened. Can see them on the film at the opening ceremony.

[BFCmaj]

Mr grandparents were the mayor and mayoress when it was opened. Can see them on the film at the opening ceremony.

Brilliant. Is that them on the film posted earlier in the thread?

[cricketfieldclarets]

Even as a kid of the 90s the Thompson centre was a great facility. It literally had everything. And I can picture it all now. Walking through reception. The smells. The faces. (Sometimes linked ). The facilities. Football. Table tennis.

Loved the inflatables at the pool. The pool was far superior to the at peters one. Then had the little baby pool which was warm and the brilliant diving pool.

Used to love running around the place. Loads of little hiding spots for young kids! Got in plenty of bother there too.

Still see some of the lifeguards faces from there in town or at at peters on the very rare occasion I go there.

Used to love burning off all our energy there and then in later years going to planet pizza for chips and then busy bee mini supermarket for Kit Kat ice creams.

Weird things stick in your head. Always remember eating caramacs from the vending machine. And always remember going there with school past the turf when the new stands were being built and they seemed huge.

I understand they had to knock the old one down. But they didn’t have to build a new one that was worse than the old one.

Nothing about the new one is better than the old.

[cricketfieldclarets]

i could only get about half way down the diving pool before my ears felt like caving in.

god it was deep. 3.5m from memory.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Even as a kid of the 90s the Thompson centre was a great facility. It literally had everything. And I can picture it all now. Walking through reception. The smells. The faces. (Sometimes linked ). The facilities. Football. Table tennis.

Loved the inflatables at the pool. The pool was far superior to the at peters one. Then had the little baby pool which was warm and the brilliant diving pool.

Used to love running around the place. Loads of little hiding spots for young kids! Got in plenty of bother there too.

Still see some of the lifeguards faces from there in town or at at peters on the very rare occasion I go there.

Used to love burning off all our energy there and then in later years going to planet pizza for chips and then busy bee mini supermarket for Kit Kat ice creams.

Weird things stick in your head. Always remember eating caramacs from the vending machine. And always remember going there with school past the turf when the new stands were being built and they seemed huge.

I understand they had to knock the old one down. But they didn’t have to build a new one that was worse than the old one.

Nothing about the new one is better than the old.

The diving pool was brilliant. 1m 3m and 5m boards. Strangely was more than happy diving off the 1 and 3m but would only ever jump off the 5m board no matter how many times I went up the ladder convinced I was diving. Once up there it was just too much.

Roast beef monster munch and a slush were the treats afterwards.

[cricketfieldclarets]

The diving pool was brilliant. 1m 3m and 5m boards. Strangely was more than happy diving off the 1 and 3m but would only ever jump off the 5m board no matter how many times I went up the ladder convinced I was diving. Once up there it was just too much.

Roast beef monster munch and a slush were the treats afterwards.

I found the middle board the hardest. Because it was high but bouncy. At least the top one was solid. Not that I ever dived off it. Forget that.

[claretonthecoast1882]

I found the middle board the hardest. Because it was high but bouncy. At least the top one was solid. Not that I ever dived off it. Forget that.

that slippy bounce just before the dive

[taio]

It was a superior facility - bigger pool (33m I think not 25m), diving pool, 5 squash courts instead of 2, better five a side facilities. Unecomonical though.

[Quickenthetempo]

Dr Pepper and Root beer were memories of the Thommy centre

Not regular drinks in the Burnley area late 80s early 90s.

[Rumbletonk]

Peering through those black gates when the Diving pool was closed was torture.

[hoskinsgoalatswansea]

00901505-070A-4C42-AFA2-2AD4AEE64B10.jpeg (105.87 KiB) Viewed 5674 times

[BurnleyFC]

Lucozade energy sweets out of the vending machine!

Some great memories of a great place.

[Herts Clarets]

The diving pool was brilliant. 1m 3m and 5m boards. Strangely was more than happy diving off the 1 and 3m but would only ever jump off the 5m board no matter how many times I went up the ladder convinced I was diving. Once up there it was just too much.

Same with me. Jumped off loads of times but never had the bottle to dive off the top one. Middle one no problem. Only 2 metres difference in height but it seemed so much higher when you got up there.

5 a side was great down there, always had to phone a week before to book. if you weren't on the phone at 9am, then it was booked up and you were left disappointed for a week. I remember playing against work colleagues there in 1988 and breaking my foot and 2 toes in a crunching 50/50. Also used to have nets down there pre cricket season in the hall adjacent to the 5 a side court. I was batting one time and leathered a ball straight back at the bowler. He moved, unfortunately the next bowler in the queue wasn't paying attention and the ball hit him on the forearm and broke his arm. It was a friend of my grandfather's from the Old Band Club in Nelson. Not a happy chap!

[cricketfieldclarets]

00901505-070A-4C42-AFA2-2AD4AEE64B10.jpeg

Wow remember this. As kids we thought petting was hilarious!

[cricketfieldclarets]

that slippy bounce just before the dive

God yeah terrifying!

[Froobs]

Wow remember this. As kids we thought petting was hilarious!

No heavy petting
I remember the signage at gannow baths too

[Froobs]

Lucozade energy sweets out of the vending machine!

Some great memories of a great place.

Packets of puffs

[JoeAM89]

I used to have nightmares about that diving pool. Terrified me!

[JoeAM89]

Packets of puffs

My god, forgot all about puffs. The worst, but also the greatest ‘crisps’ of all time.

[Red Fox Rocks Socks]

I spent many an evening watching my dad play 5 a side there with someone he vaguely knew keeping an eye on me as I watched sat with my legs through the bars.

Then as I got older playing there myself with football parties in the late 90s.

Trampolining I seem to remember too in the room across from the 5 a side court

[cricketfieldclarets]

No heavy petting
I remember the signage at gannow baths too

I thought I’d not dreamt the heavy bit haha

[Froobs]

My god, forgot all about puffs. The worst, but also the greatest ‘crisps’ of all time.

Could easily destroy a few packs whilst waiting for mother to finish with the 20p hairdryer at gannow baths

[Peter Loo]

The Thompson's during their time on earth, were well known for their thrift. One of them (it's not known which) used to visit the Woodman public house, a few yards down the road from Oak Bank. Here, he would have say, two or three glasses of beer each evening. For a man of his means, his attire left much to be desired, and one night a local asked him "Why is it, when you have all that money that you dress as you do?". To which the reply was "Well, if I get all dressed up, people expect me to buy them a drink, whereas when I dress as I do, people buy me one".

[yTib]

god i'd forgotten about 'puffs'.

they also used to sell them at the cafe up towneley.

happy days!

[Somethingfishy]

Brilliant. Is that them on the film posted earlier in the thread?

It is. Made my mum quite emotional seeing her parents in a film.

[BFCmaj]

It is. Made my mum quite emotional seeing her parents in a film.

My daughter was impressed with her hat!