Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2009 | Page 23

INTERVIEW
been the most popular shape by far although

servicing and repairs must be the late great

he was once asked to design a pool in the

Keith Moon who had a fondness for putting

shape of a grand piano.

strange things on his pool. “He put his car on

All this hob nobbing with the stars was a far

it. We got that off and then three days later

cry from Roy’s early life. Born in a cottage in

we had a call from the agent saying he’d put a

Newnham Brickyard, near Hook in Hampshire,

mini hovercraft on it,” said Roy who was called

Roy grew up in Little Basing just outside

in to remove the offending articles.

Basingstoke, and attended Fairfield School. His

“They were all such nice ordinary people,”

first job was in a bakery and it was then that he

remembered Roy. “If I’d known then what I

met his wife to be, Gloria.

know now…,” he added nostalgically. “I met

“The baker’s wage was terrible and the hours

George Harrison when he was just off on

were long, so he went into the plastering

the Beatles first US tour. He had a massive

trade and then met an Italian who taught him

bungalow and in the hall there were sackfuls

marble mosaic work,” said Gloria. “He took to

and sackfuls of fan mail.” Roy also did the

it so quickly and that was the start of the pool

interior of John Lennon’s pool in St George’s

trade.” Gloria did all of the bookwork for the

Hill in Weybridge.

business until she retired recently.
Married in 1961, three sons followed in quick

The largest pool Roy installed was Basingstoke
Municipal pool, which also took the longest

succession. Andrew in 1963, Vincent in 1966

time – nearly two years until its completion

and Martin in 1969. “They were typical boys,”

in 1973. Since those days the construction

said Gloria. “I was always up at the hospital in

has remained more or less the same but the

Basingstoke. Vincent swallowed a ball bearing

filtration and chemical doseage has improved.

and they had it up on the X ray taking bets as

There’s less chlorine content nowadays and a

to what it was. And Vincent sliced his ear in

lot of ozone cleaning systems – particularly

half.” “And Martin ran into the tailboard on

in the Catalina Spa Pools which Eccott began

the back of one of our lorries,” remembered

installing around five years ago.

Roy.
In the early 70s Roy installed a pool at the

life

Roy’s three sons now run the pool and spa
business from their unit at Spithead Busines 0