The rise and fall of the public toilet

 

THE PUBLIC toilet appears to be in decline. Large numbers of facilities throughout the country are now being kept locked and shuttered.

Many of these formerly-busy washrooms closed their doors during the pandemic when lockdowns kept everybody at home. According to the Lockdown Loo website, around 800 UK facilities closed in the winter of 2020-2021 alone.

Then after the country had reopened, councils started weighing up their options and many decided to keep their toilets closed. For example, it was recently announced that 14 toilets in Scotland that closed at the start of the pandemic would not reopen, with the Scottish Borders Council proposing to sell off or demolish the defunct facilities to pay for the refurbishment of the remaining 27 loos. 

In January 2023, Brighton and Hove City Council was also considering closing 18 of the city’s 36 public toilets and opening some of the remainder in summer only. 

Some toilets closed down even before the pandemic began. For example, Bristol City Council closed 18 of its facilities in 2018 and launched a community toilet scheme by way of compensation. Venues such as restaurants, bars and cafes were asked to open their facilities for use by the public.

However, the scheme foundered when it emerged that only a handful of the 126 venues in the scheme had actually advertised their participation, and that many of their employees were unaware of the scheme’s existence. This meant members of the public were frequently being refused entry to the facilities.

Today’s public toilet shortage was recently highlighted in an exhibition at Newcastle’s city library. The Rise and Decline of Newcastle’s Public Toilets, staged this summer, charted the history of public loos in the area, pointing out that the city currently has no council-run public toilets whatsoever. 

However in the 1890s Newcastle boasted more than 40 facilities ranging from quayside urinals to gender-separated privies. And this number grew to a staggering 80 by the mid-20th century.

What has occurred to change the lavatory landscape so drastically?

First, it is important to look at why public toilets were provided in the UK in the first place. They sprang up in the mid 19^th century for two main reasons. The first was due to public health.

A devastating cholera outbreak in 1848-49 killed 52,000 people across the UK. Newcastle had its own cholera disaster in 1853 when the disease killed at least 1,500 people out of a total population of 90,000. 

A damning inquiry the following year revealed that out of 9453 houses in Newcastle, only 1421 had their own toilets. So it was unsurprising that cholera was able to ravage the city. 

It became clear to public health officials that the lack of private flushing toilets connected to sewers needed to be addressed. So they took action and introduced public loos throughout the city. And this move was facilitated by the First Public Health Act of 1848 which provided a framework for local authorities to open conveniences in their areas.

The second driver for washroom provision was the Great Exhibition of 1851. This was held to flaunt the nation’s wealth and influence, and huge crowds were expected. It was due to be staged at Hyde Park’s Crystal Palace, but there was one small problem: the venue had no toilets.

A plumber named George Jennings came up with a solution and introduced flushing lavatories into the building. These featured mahogany seats, a chain-operated flush system and seven-foot high partitions to divide them from each other. And they cost a penny to use – which is where the phrase “to spend a penny” comes from.

The toilets were a huge success, with records revealing that a total of 675,000 pennies were spent during the six-month exhibition. The concept caught on and public lavatories opened up in towns and cities the following year. Known as Public Waiting Rooms, these were often built underground with a glass brick embedded in the pavement to provide light. And most of them were designated for men because women were generally expected to stay at home.

Councils gained greater power to operate these facilities after the 1875 Public Health Act which allowed local authorities to purchase, create and repair sewers and control water supplies. This led to the introduction of yet more lavatories – but again, they were mostly for men. 

Breakthroughs in provision

Women grew unhappy about the lack of toilet provision since it restricted their ability to venture far from their homes. The Ladies Sanitary Association was then set up with the aim of campaigning for better toilet provision for women. And this had some measure of success, with a few ladies’ loos being opened as a result.

Another breakthrough occurred in 1928 when London’s Selfridges store provided washrooms for its customers for the first time. These toilets – both gents’ and ladies’ –transformed shopping into an enjoyable activity that allowed people to browse at their leisure, safe in the knowledge that they could use a lavatory when they needed to.

The tradition of providing away-from-home facilities became firmly established and as the 20^th century progressed, washrooms were routinely provided in commercial establishments such as hotels, restaurants, bars, offices and shopping centres as well as in town centres and parks. 

So the 20^th century could arguably be considered the “golden age” of public toilets. However, it must be remembered that many houses still had no inside facilities of their own - merely an outhouse in the back yard.

Washroom vandalism

Today it is a given that toilets will be available for visitors at any public event whether it is an exhibition, sports match, music festival or dramatic performance. And now that diseases such as cholera are under control, there is arguably less need for public toilets in every town, park or village. In any case, toilets are expensive to equip and maintain – particularly when cases of misuse and abuse are high.

Reports of washroom vandalism in public areas and in schools have proliferated since the pandemic. In July 2022 a set of public washrooms in Newport, South Wales were targeted by youths who blocked loos, kicked paper dispensers off the walls and damaged electrical fittings. 

Similar issues occurred at public toilets in Much Wenlock, Shropshire, last summer, with the facilities having to be closed temporarily so that repairs could be made.

And in autumn 2021 a TikTok craze prompted school students worldwide to rip off washroom dispensers, break mirrors and smash sinks and urinals and post images of this destruction on to social media. The “Devious Licks” challenge led to millions of pounds’ worth of damage being carried out in washrooms worldwide. 

So while it may be understandable that many facilities have remained closed, the lack of public toilets is still having a major impact on people’s lives. And many are only too willing to voice their concerns when their toilet provision is taken away.

Accessibility for all

Earlier this year, Edinburgh residents staged a protest over the lack of loos in their area claiming it was having a negative effect on accessibility. Members of the Living Rent tenants’ union in Edinburgh said the dearth of facilities was deterring one in five people from venturing out of their homes and also impacting on people with medical conditions.

Last year more than 3000 people in Cleethorpes signed a petition demanding that more toilets be introduced along the town’s beachfront. And back in Newcastle, activists recently lobbied councilors to demand accessible, clean and safe toilets in their public spaces. 

Addressing toilet provision

So we have come full circle, and once again we are facing a situation where toilet provision is poor and where many people are reluctant to go out for fear of being unable to find a loo when they need one.

Councils can address these issues by installing fixtures and systems that reduce maintenance and cut the vandalism risks. Robust, sturdy dispensers are harder to rip off the walls, for example, and if they are lockable they will restrict people’s access to the product inside.

Long-lasting systems will prevent run-outs and reduce labour costs. And digital systems – such as Tork Vision Cleaning – will reduce the number of physical inspections that cleaning staff need to make. Tork Vision Cleaning connects washroom dispensers and people-counters allowing cleaners to check on refill and cleaning requirements remotely via a smartphone or tablet. 

There has been some good news about public toilets over recent months. In February it was announced that Brighton councillors had agreed a U-turn over toilet closures and had found alternative funding to keep their facilities open.

The UK government also recently invested £7million in the provision of new Changing Places toilets around the country. These provide accessible facilities incorporating equipment such as hoists, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers. 

So perhaps we are finally turning a corner and gaining an understanding of the true value of public washrooms as a vital facility in parks, cities and town centres. Though our forefathers could have informed us of this - more than 100 years ago.

Stuart Hands is sales manager of Tork manufacturer Essity.

For more information visit www.tork.co.uk