Carnaby Street

You don't believe me? Yes, this little haven for swimmers is 30 seconds' walk from the agitation of Carnaby Street, Soho. Old Victorian baths with a beautiful barrel vaulted roof and crisp Wedgwood-style painted walls, it was closed in 1928, refurbished, then re-opened in 1931. Threatened again much more recently by developers with dreams of high tech gyms and loads of profits, but defended to the hilt by its fans including MichaelPalin, it won the right to remain a simple little old-fashioned pool.