Now it has been some time since I pondered on the lost public lavatories of Britain.
And I can see that for some the subject lacks the romanticism of a ruined castle or the significance of listed great country house.
But they are in the way as equally important.
Some like the Victorian and Edwardian ones are unique pieces of work, with the outside care to detail matched by the interior tiles, and porcelain fittings.
Even those built in the last decade, while they can’t match the style of the earlier ones, say something about public architecture in post war Britain.
Added to which there is that simple observation that they reflect that commitment to municipal public health, and certainly for the Victorians came with a belief that even the humblest of structures should be imbued with good taste and be built to last.
So here are two of my favourites.
I have no idea if the iron one I photographed in 1983 still stands but the Didsbury one on Barlow Moor Road is still there, although it closed a long time ago.
Location; Birmingham and Didsbury
Pictures; 19th century public library, Birmingham, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and 20th century, version Didsbury, 2019, courtesy of Andy Robertson
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| Birmingham, 1983 |
But they are in the way as equally important.
Some like the Victorian and Edwardian ones are unique pieces of work, with the outside care to detail matched by the interior tiles, and porcelain fittings.
Even those built in the last decade, while they can’t match the style of the earlier ones, say something about public architecture in post war Britain.
Added to which there is that simple observation that they reflect that commitment to municipal public health, and certainly for the Victorians came with a belief that even the humblest of structures should be imbued with good taste and be built to last.
 |
| Didsbury, 2019 |
I have no idea if the iron one I photographed in 1983 still stands but the Didsbury one on Barlow Moor Road is still there, although it closed a long time ago.
Location; Birmingham and Didsbury
Pictures; 19th century public library, Birmingham, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and 20th century, version Didsbury, 2019, courtesy of Andy Robertson
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