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Old Square underground toilets

Pomgolian

Pomgolian

Kiwi Brummie
:angel: Hey I just realised this pic' I posted on another thread shows the old underground toilets in 'The Old Square', I went to spend a 'Penny' there heaps of times.
In the ladies there was a lady who stayed down there all day giving change '6 Pennies' for a sixpence, cleaning the toilets and making sure us kids didn't play up and down the steps.
Bet you all used them at some time...

POM :angel:
 
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Pom, like you I went in that loo in Old Square many many times and I remember that lady that used to look after the place. "Wash and Brush Up 2d" sign always fascinated me.
Do you remember where there were any other places long ago. I remember there was one one under the old underground area near Lewis's in more later years but that's all gone now, of course.
 
Thanks Sylvia...I remember the famous "green" railings signifying an underground loo
in the area and those at Aston Cross. Thanks again for reminding me. Thing about public loos were those infernal turnstiles. These days they are much smaller than they used to be...thank goodness, if there are any at all.
 
I am sure there were some in the centre of the road, just as you walked down to St Martins past the old fish market in the Bull Ring. Do you remember the smell and having to paddle through the water?

When we were there last year, we noticed some above ground ones by the Jewellery Quater Railway Station. Wish we had taken a photo now.

I can feel a feild trip coming on for Oisin :)
 
Mo,
If you think I'm going to go snooping around Ladies toilets with a camera, you'd better think again!
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Even I have to draw the line somewhere. :uglystupid2:​
 
Actully the ones in the Jewellery trade appreared only to be for men, but I'm not that makes it any better. Oisin. :2funny:

After hanging out at the back of Rackhams we thought you were game for anything. :coolsmiley:
 
Super picture of the old square, best I have seen. If I may change the subject off to the side, look at the original old steam tram going about it's business. Good surface transportation was another thing that was there. I believe the driver was in the black appendage. He must have had to stoke the fire also. Yes keeping the toilets clean must have been a problem but I always thought that it was good to know they were around..just in case.
 
Postie where the Bus is was one of those shops the Ceylon Tea House ? :)
 
:angel: Postie's right the building in his pic' is Lewis's as The pillars on the left look like the entrance to The Minories.

Chris :angel:
 
with and with out old and new they shoved the toilets down stairs and now that as gone a new road runs over the top now any one got a new photograph of the old square (new ???)
 
:angel: The building on the right of the last pic' was Bell & Nicholson an up market department store, where 'Ladies went to get measured for their Bra' and Corcets. My brother worked there in the early 1960's doing just that...

Chris :angel:
 
What a thought Pom, can you imagin men doing that today. :2funny:

Maybe they do in the up scale stores but it does tend to make the mind boggle. ;)

Do you think Rowan fainted at the thought?
 
John,
I haven't got a wide angle of The Square, all I've got this of the old Lewis' entrance taken a few weeks ago.
 
Nice picture, are the doors new in the last (wait for it) 30 years. I don't remember them looking so nice. I liked Lewis's you could get almost anything there. Someone mentioned it before but the roof garden was one of my favourite things. :smitten: :smitten:

When did spell check appear? We have been busy with some English friends here for the past week, was that when the changes took place.

That is great. O0
 
DID ANYBODY GO TO THE ONE IN LEWIS,S AND DID ANY BODY GO OR REMEMBER GOING ON THE ROOF GARDEN TOP AT DEAR OLD LEWIS,S AND VIEWING THROUGH THE OLD TELE SCOPE , ? I WENT UP THERE WITH MY MOM IN THE LATE FORTIES, TERAH FOR NOW , ASTONIAN ,;;;;
 
Seeing that pic of the Minories as was takes me back. Remember the roadway was paved with rubber tiles? I seem to remermber that it got a bit smelly in the summer. I suppose they were put in there in the 1920s when a lot of vehicles (certainly horse-drawn carts) had solid or even iron tyres, and the noise could have been deafening.
As a second guess, was it a promotional effort from Dunlop's?
Peter
 
Those rubber blocks in the Minories?
bit dodgy when wet,especially for cyclists,
I've spent many hours waiting for my wife
(to finish waitressing in the Ranelagh room) out
side in the Minories
 
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