Wednesday 28 November 2012

ABC Wednesday: "T" is for tasteful tactful toilet talk at the Lowry


Linking with ABC Wednesday where we have arrived at the letter "T". Sorry to lower the tone but toilets are an everyday necessity. Here we have a fine example of the sink area in the plush pink ladies at the Lowry Centre.

I co-wrote a proposal a long time ago for a book called The Urge to Go, which looked at everything from Roman sewers to loos in space, via Australian dunnies and the loos with the best view (one near Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio got my vote). Although rejected by publishers, there were a plethora of similar books and websites that appeared within the following decade. We were ahead of our time I guess.

Toilet hire is not something we might thing of often but it is a big job for events and festival organisers. Nixon Toilet Hire have, I'm sure, heard all the jokes as they go about their business providing an essential service at events such as firework displays, music festivals including Leeds. Reading and T in the Park, the Newark beer festival and the Great North Run.

World Toilet Day  was on 19th November.  It's a serious health issue if you do not have access to such facilities, as millions of people round the world still don't...

Back nearer to home, I was pleasantly surprised by a toilet block on the Trent & Mersey canal near the Anderton Boat Lift at the weekend. It was a cold and frosty morning outside but inside the loos were beautifully heated, spacious and even had a shelf full of books in the lobby entrance. Narrow boat voyagers are treated well along that stretch of canal!

My monthly guest post for Smitten By Britain is now up and it features Polperro, which is where I recently visited after a morning in nearby Looe…  Do You Know Polperro? .

14 comments:

  1. Very plush loos those - but all over toilets are being closed because of cuts - Belle Vue, Reddish, Woodley, Denton are ones I've photographed this year - the one at Woodley is actually advertised "For Sale or To Let" - one has to head for supermarkets these days to find a loo when travelling.

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  2. WC, bathroom, toilet, loo. Interesting topic.
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  3. Enjoyed the article for Smitten Chrissy, i've been fascinated by the coast around Cornwall ever since reading Daphne du Maurier's stories many years go!

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  4. A necessity that we don't give enough credit to until one is broken down! :)

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  5. good topic, nicely covered. Sadly when it comes to public conveniences we do seem rather to be going backwards when it comes to provision on many of our high streets.

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  6. World Toilet Day???????? John Crapper would be so proud!

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  7. Great choice for t day and love what you did with the photo. Toilets are so overlooked yet so crucial, wish your book proposal had gone ahead (the price of being ahead of the curve:).

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  8. Thomas Crapper, perhaps John was his brother!

    JJ

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  9. Love the photo Chrissy, nicely done! Terrifically tasteful toilet trivia as well.

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  10. I must say I prefer the British loos over ours here in Canada. Yours allow more privacy while ours allow narrow views through the sides and the doors are short allowing views of feet and if you're tall, your head when you stand up. ICK!

    Leslie
    abcw team

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  11. A 'luxury' we do take for granted, great shot too!

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  12. And . . . umm . . . exactly how did you develop this fascination for toilets?

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