Longley Park Bathing Pool

The pool at Longley Park in Sheffield has a connection with the open-air pool at Hathersage. Both were gifts to the community from George Lawrence, proprietor of G H Lawrence Ltd, manufacturer of razor blades.

The Longley Park pool opened in 1938 and cost Mr Lawrence £5,500 (£475,000 in 2025 money) so a huge gift. The water was heated and plenty of showers, changing rooms and sunbathing facilities were provided.

Lawrence had a vision for a ring of heated outdoor pools surrounding Sheffield, in rural surroundings, which he preferred to large central pools where swimmers had to make a tram journey to get into town.

Pools were only a part of the altruistic actions of Lawrence and his wife. They also funded a village school in France, supported the building of a methodist church and many other causes.

The vision never came to fruition as he and seven of his employees were killed by a German bomb in December 1940. George and his wife were at home in Hathersage when he heard of bombing over Sheffield. He was concerned about his workers on the night shift and decided he needed to be there with them. He drove off into the night with food and drink and perished with them as the factory in Nursery Street took a direct hit.

Rather than mourn, his stoic wife set about finding alternative premises to ensure that the supply of razors, almost exclusively to service personnel, was not interrupted.

The once popular outdoor pool was the only swimming venue in the area. Suffering from vandalism in the 1980’s and from cracks and leaks, it was finally demolished and levelled. A sad end for something that should have stood as a monument to a remarkable man.

If you want to find out more about George Lawrence and his work, visit this link.