The King’s Cross Swimming Pond is part natural swimming pond and part art installation at the heart of the rapidly changing King’s Cross area. A short walk from the bustling King’s Cross and St. Pancras railway stations, the pond is nestled in-between building sites, blocks of student accommodation and trendy apartment buildings, with the tall city skyscrapers peeping from behind the cranes in the distance.

Anyone can swim here and there are three session a day which allows the pool to restore between sessions. The changing rooms are a vivid red and white stripe, reminiscent of a seaside deckchair and a viewing platform gives visitors a bird’s eye view of the pool and urban landscape beyond.

The pond is a joy to swim in with a natural reed bed filtration system, so the water is recycled naturally. Plus the planting around the pond is beautiful, with wild flowers, grasses and bushes surrounding the water so that the landscape changes with the seasons.

Open until December 2016 there will soon be a new sauna installed next to the pond providing warmth for those brave enough to visit over the winter months.

When you’ve finished your swim and need to warm up, head to the trendy Caravan in Granary Square just a few minutes away for coffee and brunch!

Images by Emma Bradshaw