1940s Mining Life
12/21 
Outside lavatory with high-level cistern, on display at the Museum
© National Coal Mining Museum for England (Photo: National Coal Mining Museum for England)
© National Coal Mining Museum for England (Photo: National Coal Mining Museum for England)
Usually the toilet was close to the house, but outside in the yard. Some terrace houses shared a toliet between two households, and took it in turns to keep it clean. At night no one wanted to go outside to the toilet, and so people had a potty under the bed which was emptied in the morning. It was very different from using modern indoor bathrooms.
Some houses had a flushing water closet like this one, but others had an earth closet which had to be emptied at night. Outside toilets might have hard, medicated toilet paper, which was supposed to be hygienic, and was also used in schools, and which was not affected by damp. Families with less money would use newspaper, and children had to tear the Daily Herald up into squares to hang on a nail just inside the toilet door to use as lavatory paper.
Some houses had a flushing water closet like this one, but others had an earth closet which had to be emptied at night. Outside toilets might have hard, medicated toilet paper, which was supposed to be hygienic, and was also used in schools, and which was not affected by damp. Families with less money would use newspaper, and children had to tear the Daily Herald up into squares to hang on a nail just inside the toilet door to use as lavatory paper.