Public Conveniences, Guilford Place, Camden, Greater London

These Ladies' and Gentlemen's toilets are sited on a traffic island. They date from the late 19th century. They stand close to the Francis Whiting Memorial Fountain. The toilets have yellow tiles, mahogany doors, decorative grills and their original fittings. It was only in Victorian times that public toilets appeared in any large numbers. The Public Health Act of 1848, called for Public Necessaries to be provided to improve sanitation. The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in 1851 had toilets for visitors. These were installed by George Jennings, a plumber from Brighton. To offset the cost, visitors were charged 1d (penny) for using the toilets. William Haywood, City of London Corporation Engineer, installed the first municipal public toilets and the first underground public toilets in 1855. These were outside the Royal Exchange. At that time nearly all public conveniences were for men with few provided for women. There was a feeling that it was not decent to have public toilets for women.

Location

Period

Themes

Tags