Victorian and Edwardian Street  Furniture

The Heritage Group has recently decided to carry out research to discover
whether any examples of the cast iron street urinals and public conveniences
favoured and used by the Victorians and Edwardians still exist in the 21st century.

The ongoing and progressive increase in the demand requirements for health
and safety and environmental health must have speeded the demise of this
type of external toilet facility.  Nevertheless there are still some urinals to be
found around the country, as can be seen from the examples shown below.

Many of the urinals and toilets found to date, were manufactured by
Walter Macfarlane & Co. at their Saracen ironworks in Glasgow.



This rectangular double doorway pattern urinal was manufactured
by Walter Macfarlane, is still in use and can be found in Bristol.

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This circular double doorway pattern urinal is in a very poor and dilapidated condition, and has now been closed. It is a Grade II listed structure. Described as a round pattern with curved entrance screen of decorative panels pierced to the top, with raking roof to a filigree dome with bowl finial. Originally with porcelain stall pattern urinal inside. It was made by George Smith & Co at their Sun Foundry in Glasgow. It is to found in north Bristol.

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This old photograph shows a circular urinal with single curved doorway in Mill Lane, Bedminster, Bristol which probably dates from the Edwardian period. Its shape and pattern is similar to the designs of George Smith & Co of Glasgow.  It eventually became stranded on a traffic island, and when the time came for its removal to make way for a road widening scheme, (it was to be moved and re-erected at a local museum), sadly it couldn't withstand the dismantlement and broke into several sections. The remains are now stored in the Bristol Industrial Museum.

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This excellent restored double doorway urinal is on display at the National Tram Museum in Crich Derbyshire. It can be found adjacent to the Red Lion public house as one of the exhibits and part of the street scene.

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Another fine example of a double doorway Urinal is to be found
at the Colyford Station of the Seaton Tramway in Devon.
The name of the manufacturer is not displayed but the pattern on
the panels is similar to those of William Macfarlane of Glasgow.

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A fine and ornate example of a   Victorian period circular double doorway cast iron urinal that is located in a central Bristol public park and appears on a 1918 OS map. It has recently been restored and is a Grade II listed structure.  Described as a round pattern with curved entrance screen of decorative panels, pieced to the top, with raking roof to a filigree dome with bowl finial. Originally with porcelain stall pattern urinal inside.   Note the highly decorative designs on both the open and solid panels. The urinal was made at the Sun Foundry of the manufacturer George Smith & Co. in Glasgow. As the foundry closed in 1899 this structure must date from the late Victorian Period.

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This strangely shaped rectangular urinal is to be found in Sydney Gardens in Bath Spa.
This is a Grade II listed structure which has unfortunately been allowed to deteriorate
and although most of the surrounding trees and bushes have been trimmed back,
the branches of trees are detrimentaly affecting the roof of the building which will
eventually break the panes of the roof glazing. The name of the manufacturer is displayed
on a nameplate inside the building which is now inaccessible as the doorway has
been closed off and locked.
 

The image on the left sadly shows the condition in which the Urinal can now be found. The first  large size image has been digitally altered to show how the original  structure would have appeared.

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A rare example of a James Allen Snr & Son Elmbank Foundry Glasgow
rectangular single doorway Urinal located on the dockside of the
SS Great Britain exhibition site in Bristol.
The Urinal carries the James Allen Snr & Son nameplate .

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This double doorway rectangular Urinal is another fine example made by George Smith & Co at their Sun Foundry in Glasgow. It can be found on the platform of Bewdley Station which is part of the Severn Valley preserved Steam Railway that runs from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. The urinal was  bought from British Rail and erected in 1977 and opened in September of that year.

The photos of the Urinal on the Station platform at
Bewdley Worcs. were provided by Brough Skingley.

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This excellent example of a double doorway urinal to a design of James Allen Snr & Son Elmbank Foundry Glasgow, is in a remarkably preserved condition and can be found on the roadway under the Sydney harbour bridge in Australia. The irony of its location is that although here is a toilet facility provided for male relief the notice on the adjacent lampost says NO STOPPING.

The name marked on the urinal is B G Plummer & Co Sydney, but comparison of the floral design on the Sydney  (right hand side) panels shows an almost perfect copy with the panels (left hand side) found on the Urinal at the S.S. Great Britain exhibition site in Bristol, England. It must follow that B G Plummer had an agreement with James Allen Snr & Son of Glasgow to manufacture their Urinals in Australia.

The photos of the Urinal under Sydney Harbour Bridge in
Australia were provided by Paul Yunnie of the Heritage Group.

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This double doorway Urinal is to be found in Star Yard  off
of Chancery Lane in London. It was shown in one of the
episodes of Rumpole of the Bailey TV programmes when
Leo McKern was seen to enter to use it facilities.

No makers name is displayed on any of the external panels.
Both doorways have now been blocked off. Maybe the
makers name is to be found on the internal panels.
The mounted crest has not been seen on other urinals.

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CHILTERN OPEN AIR MUSEUM
CAVERSHAM PUBLIC CONVENIENCE WHICH
CELEBRATES ITS CENTENARY IN 2006
 
 

When this Public Convenience that was sited in Caversham Berkshire was considered by Reading Borough Council to have reached the end of its useful life, it was closed.  The year was 1980, and alternative uses were then considered, but none found to be suitable. The toilet was originally purchased by Reading Borough Council in 1906, and provided for the use of passengers using the tramway at its Caversham terminus. The cast iron decorated panel structure is partitioned suitable for separate male and female use, and was manufactured at the Saracen Ironfoundry of Walter MacFarlane & Co. in Glasgow. In 1985 the building was donated by Reading Borough Council to the Chiltern Open Air Museum. Its team of dedicated volunteers then dismantled, removed and rebuilt it in its present location between the years 1987 and 1991. It was finally opened in 1992 to provide public toilet facilities for the Museum.

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