Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum
LADIES' PUBLIC LAVATORIES CIRCA 50 METRES NORTH OF HOLBURNE OF MENSTRIE MUSEUM, SYDNEY GARDENS
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1242916
- Date first listed:
- 30-Oct-1987
- List Entry Name:
- Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum
- Statutory Address:
- LADIES' PUBLIC LAVATORIES CIRCA 50 METRES NORTH OF HOLBURNE OF MENSTRIE MUSEUM, SYDNEY GARDENS
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1242916
- Date first listed:
- 30-Oct-1987
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 15-Oct-2010
- List Entry Name:
- Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum
- Statutory Address 1:
- LADIES' PUBLIC LAVATORIES CIRCA 50 METRES NORTH OF HOLBURNE OF MENSTRIE MUSEUM, SYDNEY GARDENS
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- LADIES' PUBLIC LAVATORIES CIRCA 50 METRES NORTH OF HOLBURNE OF MENSTRIE MUSEUM, SYDNEY GARDENS
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 75689 65307
Details
Ladies' public lavatories, dating from c.1914, cast by the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow to MacFarlane's patent design.
MATERIALS: The structure is of cast iron, with a glass roof.
PLAN: The structure is roughly rectangular on plan, with cubicles to either side of a central passage.
EXTERIOR: The structure is based on a rectangular tubular framework which supports cast iron panels with decorative bands, over a plinth, dado and top; the plinth is articulated by decorative frames, with square decorative panels to dado level; and the top has a pierced ventilation frieze.
INTERIOR: The open entrance is screened by grille doors to opposing central openings, with three cubicles to either side.
HISTORY: Sydney Gardens were laid out as commercial pleasure grounds between 1792 and 1794; the initial design was by the architect Thomas Baldwin, who, after he went bankrupt, was replaced by Charles Harcourt Masters in 1794. They were opened on 11 May 1795 as Sydney Gardens Vauxhall, and rapidly became a popular place of entertainment, hosting public breakfasts, promenades and galas. The main building was the Sydney Tavern, which stood at the western end of the central walk. In 1799, a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal was cut through the gardens; and during the early C19, additional features and structures were introduced, adding variety and surprise in accordance with landscape design principles of the period. From c.1839, a section of the Great Western Railway was constructed, cutting through the gardens. In 1891, when the original 99-year lease of the Gardens expired, the entire site, including the Tavern, by then in use as a college, was sold. In 1908, the site was purchased by Bath City Council; the gardens were opened to the public as a municipal park in 1913, while the Tavern was remodelled into the Holburne of Menstrie Museum. The lavatories were added c.1914, a cast iron structure having been chosen for its economy. In the late C20, additional facilities including new lavatories were introduced, making the cast-iron lavatories redundant. The gardens remain in use as a public park.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION DECISION The ladies' lavatories in Sydney Gardens are listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * An unusually complete survival of industrial prefabrication as applied to this specialised and vital building type, which represents an increasingly rare survival of this type of street furniture * Despite its being a mass-produced structure, the casting is of good quality, and the building is far more decorative than would be strictly necessary for utility * Group value with the nearby gentlemen's lavatories of similar date, and the other listed buildings and structures within Sydney Gardens
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 512488
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 04-Jun-2026 at 08:46:53.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry