Wednesday 25 October 2017

Calls of nature ....

Not too many years ago when you needed to go to the loo at night, most houses only had an outdoor toilet. You either had a bucket in the bedroom to pee into, a commode (big potty), or got half dressed to go outside. You were only allowed to wee in the bucket, the other wasn't allowed under any circumstances!

Summer wasn't too bad to visit the outside loo but winter was a whole different ball game. Outdoor temperatures at night were often -10C or more (Fahrenheit in those days though), it was very windy and/or raining, so not a pleasant journey.

Often, only a candle or small torch was used to guide you to the building, torch bulbs were not very bright so once at the toilet, you lit the candle. Now, balancing on a high, very cold wooden toilet seat, wind blowing in under the door, making your feet very cold, the candle (providing the matches hadn't become damp), flickered menacingly over the walls.

Scurrying noises could be heard and very often, huge spiders wandered over the walls. Once finished, newspaper or izal toilet paper were used to finish with (soft rolls came later and were often useless as they became too damp). Depending on the temperature, you may or may not be able to flush the toilet as the cisterns and pipes were not lagged and often froze solid.

Blow the candle out, light the torch and go back indoors, remembering to lock the back door. If you didn't own a torch (most people did as power blackouts were common in those days), you had to cup your hand around the candle to stop it blowing out in the wind as you came back up the yard. Climb back up the creaking stairs and back into an even colder bed.

It was the job of the head of the house to unfreeze the cistern to get the toilet ready for the next nights adventures.

So as you can see, a bucket was a very handy tool to have in the bedroom. I stayed in many houses where this was common practice and even when married, staying with relatives when DB was away a similar practice was adherred to but for a different reason.

DS was in their tiny bedroom, the other children were in the bedroom nearest the bathroom so to avoid waking them up, a bucket was used.


I know this practice was carried on well into the 1990's. Wee by the way, is an excellent, occasional compost bin activator, providing the contributor is fit and well and not on medication.

10 comments:

  1. When I was a child we went to stay with friends of my parents who lived in the new forest . Even though my aunt's toilet was outside but I was amazed by the one at the house we were staying at , it was literally a little house right at the bottom of the garden . I think that the majority of today's children would have been horrified but being a 50s child bought up not to complain I did turn a hair .

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  2. The house where I was born and where I lived with my mum & dad up to the mid 60's only had an outside toilet and no bathroom whatsoever. The toilet was one of 3 (separate though) within a brick built shed. The house was in a terrace of 3. Izal was the toilet roll available. I remember shouting for my mum to come and wipe my bum at about age 2 - there was always one of the neighbours offering a hand but I only wanted my mum to do it! I remember seeing my mum on many occasion having a bath in the kitchen in a large yellow baby bath, although every Sunday we went to my grandma's for a bath as she had a proper bathroom - the luxury!! The good old days? - Hmmm I wonder!!

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  3. Our school toilets were outside and freezing cold. A chunk of carbolic soap to wash your hands and a frozen roller towel to dry them. Oh they were the days!

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  4. I remember my mum,little sister and I going to stay with my mum's friend who only had an outside toilet and we were two floors up. As I was the eldest at about 7 years I had to sleep with the auntie but daren't complain. Even worse was the pot under the bed. I was horrified.

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  5. My boys remember the outhouse (as we called them) at my Grandfather's cottage. They did not like using it at all as they were afraid they would fall down the hole.

    God bless.

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  6. We grew up with an wooden outhouse (3 holes, one lower for us children) which was just set over a pit for the waste. Each Spring my Mam would dump a box of lye into the holes and odor was not an issue. We were always excited for Christmas oranges because the green papers each were wrapped in were much softer than the Sears catalogue sheets. We had a chamber pot under the bed, and we used it, but we also had to empty it next day.
    Children today have no idea.

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    Replies
    1. One set of grandparents had a 2 hole outside loo which we had to to use. It went into a bucket which granddad dug into the garden for a year before putting on his veg! Black gold he called it.

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  7. Grandparents outside loos were the source of a "loo"phobia that went on for years. I kid you not I was seriously marred by the whole experience!

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  8. Staying with my grandmother was a nightmare - she used to 'hang' her chickens and rabbits in the darkened outside outhouse - where the loo was. Scary to a seven-year old! The loo consisted of a metal drum, with a plastic seat balanced on the top, containing some sort of chemical toilet liquid, bright blue and with fumes that could knock you over. It was utterly awful. I used to hold it all in, then go off to the woods and hide behind a tree as I couldn't bear to use her toilet. Still, she started me off on the road to gardening and frugality, so I shouldn't complain!

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