Does anybody remember outside toilets in back to back houses

[Tradescanthia]

I lived in a 'one up and one down' back to back in Pitsmoor in the '50's. The lavvy was down the bottom of the yard. We were posh, our lavvy had a door on it AND a lock!

Newspaper was hung on a nail on the back of the door and we kept a candle and a little night light candle to leave lit when it was freezing.

Some of the lavvys didnt have doors on, they had been nicked for firewood.

One cold water tap and one sink in the house and a trek down the yard to go to the toilet. Wer'nt life grand, by god we did'nt know we were born.

[PopT]

Does anyone remember?

 

The most popular paper to be used for the toilet was the Radio Times.

 

It was just the right size when cut into four.

 

The outside 'Crapper' was regularly painted inside with limewash to keep the bugs down.

 

They called it 'Bugblinding' when this was done, later people used Distemper paint.

 

Happy days!

[geocol]

We kept the outside bog key on a kitchen shelf...!

 

Key ?

 

I can't recollect anyone in our neighbourhood ever having a lock on the door of them.

 

People had so much respect for each other, not everyone locked their houses.

[Nigel Womersle]

We had one when I was little and no bath in the house either!

 

Exactly the same as us.

[wuduswitch]

Do you remember the women of each house in the yards having to empty the chamber pot every morning.

 

The long trek from the house to the outdside crapper must have been an unsavoury job but they did it without any complaints.

 

Does anyone also remember the little oil lamps that were left burning in the toilet to avoid them freezing up?

 

Happy Days????

 

That was my chore up to being 14yrs old in 1975, when we moved from Darnall and I always thought the Tilly lamps were for light, didn't realise it was to stop the pipe freezing

[lusciousloz]

my nan had an outside loo in her yard with squares of newspaper on a string nailed to the door.....then came the dreaded Izal!!!think the newspaper was softer!the tin bath was always hung at the top of the cellar steps,only used on a sunday in front of the fire!!!x

[Wadsleyite]

my nan had an outside loo in her yard with squares of newspaper on a string nailed to the door

One of my earliest recollections (aged about 4) was being given the job of cutting the newspaper into squares. We had "The Star" but upper-crust people used the "Sheffield Telegraph". This was on Low Road (Woodland View) and we shared an outside loo with our next-door neighbour Ivy. She and my mum took turns to clean it (it was always spotless - as neither wanted the other to think that standards were slipping). The house ("one down, one up and one further up") was demolished in 1964, but we had moved to Dykes Hall Road in 1952 - and so acquired our own, private outside loo (talk about posh...). That house was demolished in 1982 - as I always say, the house where I was born was demolished in the sixties, the house where I grew up was demolished in the eighties, but I'm keeping one jump ahead of the bulldozers. I've still got the Tilley lamp - I tried to flog it on eBay but it didn't sell. Maybe people don't have outside loos nowadays...

[GJ2004]

lazyherbert

IZAL at mi' grandma's!!

and mi' grand dad, news of the world or what ever, in two, then four, 6" nail, hammer, back of door, BANG! bog roll!

 

I remember my brother locking me in scared the s*** out of me ended up stabbing my hand on the nail going straight through ¡¡¡¡¡¡ the nail not the s***

[baby barrie]

i remember my nans

and the newspaper sheets cut up to wipe your bits on.

[BorderReiver]

Do you remember having to wipe your botty on a sheet of paper torn out of "The Star". By Fridaynight (bathnight) it was black bright with newspaper print. That soon muckeyed up t' watter in't tin bath