sudsreturn
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I can just remember one of these old wash houses when I was a kid, used to be a right laugh!
Public wash house.
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superelectronic
Well-known member
Now...when was the last time you ironed your Y-fronts? Or even wore a pair, for that matter...
What an interesting piece! Who'd have thought there would be housewives who preferred to handwash in a communal space over their autowasher? And how long was one supposed to stay there with drying cabinets on the go? Did you come back some hours later?
Despite being born the same year as the poster (1979) I recall no such establishment...but then they do say "it's grim ooop North"!
What an interesting piece! Who'd have thought there would be housewives who preferred to handwash in a communal space over their autowasher? And how long was one supposed to stay there with drying cabinets on the go? Did you come back some hours later?
Despite being born the same year as the poster (1979) I recall no such establishment...but then they do say "it's grim ooop North"!
sudsreturn
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Lol. I was born in 1979 too. My mum and my nanna used to and still say they prefer to wash in a twin tub cos things come out cleaner, and I agree. Dunno about washing in a wash house though. Still grim up north ya know lol, mind you when I lived in London, alot of people didn't have washers, some used launderettes or had a twin tub. Not sure about the drying cabinet thing, I can imagine you put things in as you were washing. Oddly, I have a drying cabinet in my flat, one of those 1960's thing put in by the council when they built this block. Works a treat!
The Meadows - now a very rough part of Nottingham! Lol. That redevelopment is now a prefab council estate, how things progress....
Interesting that in the same area now is a modern Ipso equipped launderette
Jon
Interesting that in the same area now is a modern Ipso equipped launderette
Jon
robliverpool
Well-known member
I could sit here in front of me laptop for hours just watching stuff like that.
As one of the women said on there it wasnt just the washing that was done it was also a way of catching up with neighbours etc which sadly not many communities do anymore
cheers for posting
As one of the women said on there it wasnt just the washing that was done it was also a way of catching up with neighbours etc which sadly not many communities do anymore
cheers for posting
Lavoirs
As such places were known in France, were common all over Europe.
In France especially in the large urban cities such as Paris there were special boats (bateau-lavoirs) until the mid 1800's.
Fun as wash houses may seem to us today, many then did not like them.
First there was the constant worry of what happens when a group of women get together, especially without male there to "over-see" things. Wash houses in some areas got a reputation as a place for "bad" women. This could range anywhere from witches to abortionists to other "low" sorts.
Then there was "airing one's dirty linen in public" (where do you think the expession came from?). Since much of life's great events from creation to birth to death takes place in bed, soiled linen can tell much about a person/family. By "linen" one takes this at it's traditional meaning; all household and personal items formally made linen, including but not limited to bed, bath, table, kitchen and personal items. Certain stains in an unmarried woman's linen or their absence could tell much about what was going on in the household.
Finally as Pasteur and others advanced theories and such on how illness was caused, the idea of using public facilities to launder one's things began to fall out of favor.
All over Europe you can find huge wash rooms in the basements of buildings. Many still have older equipment particular to the region's laundry customs. Cold mangling of linen was big in Scandinavian countries, so you can often still find box mangles or more recent electrical powered ones in wash rooms.
As such places were known in France, were common all over Europe.
In France especially in the large urban cities such as Paris there were special boats (bateau-lavoirs) until the mid 1800's.
Fun as wash houses may seem to us today, many then did not like them.
First there was the constant worry of what happens when a group of women get together, especially without male there to "over-see" things. Wash houses in some areas got a reputation as a place for "bad" women. This could range anywhere from witches to abortionists to other "low" sorts.
Then there was "airing one's dirty linen in public" (where do you think the expession came from?). Since much of life's great events from creation to birth to death takes place in bed, soiled linen can tell much about a person/family. By "linen" one takes this at it's traditional meaning; all household and personal items formally made linen, including but not limited to bed, bath, table, kitchen and personal items. Certain stains in an unmarried woman's linen or their absence could tell much about what was going on in the household.
Finally as Pasteur and others advanced theories and such on how illness was caused, the idea of using public facilities to launder one's things began to fall out of favor.
All over Europe you can find huge wash rooms in the basements of buildings. Many still have older equipment particular to the region's laundry customs. Cold mangling of linen was big in Scandinavian countries, so you can often still find box mangles or more recent electrical powered ones in wash rooms.
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">This is an awesome video!</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Thanks for posting!</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Brent</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Thanks for posting!</span>
<span style="font-family: georgia,palatino; font-size: medium;">Brent</span>
My mom, who came to the USA from Italy in 1946, described just such a place where she and her mom did their laundry in Italy. Interesting to actually see one. Thanks for posting the link!
autowasherfreak
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Very interesting, but I think I will stick with my Maytag 606, and Whirlpool dryer, LOL
Fascinating post, thanks Sudsreturn. Beautiful old equipment and live steam too. I did not fully understand the process, I guess one could either use the washboards or the tumble type machines? Those are certainly some of the oldest machines i have ever heard of, I did pick up from the narrative that a few of the machines are going to a museum, as they should. Very Interesting. alr2903
Washing Machines Were Twenty Years Old
Whilst the rest of the washing equipment (sinks, dolly peg, wash boards etc) are much older than that. Indeed probably the only "young" equipment other than the washing machines I saw in the clip was the ironer and perhaps extractor.
Now why did I keep expecting the cast from Monty Python to pop out at any moment during the flim clip? *LOL*
The posh woman doing her wash was quite right. Given the small size of many homes and their equipment, a lady could get quite allot of laundry done faster at the wash house. That large ironer certainly would have made much faster work of everything from large sheets to jeans. No folding either, just feed everything through flat. Now why was that woman ironing her smalls? *LOL*
Manger of the place was correct in how dangerous those steam fed washers are. Those look like early washer (and perhaps extractors) that weren't totally if at all automatic. The washman would have controlled the cycles by stopping, starting, filling, draining, opening and closing steam, etc.. Lots of water though! Half way up the glass.
Considering how dear energy costs are, it is no wonder the place is in the red several thousands per year. All that water not to mention fuel source to heat it and or produce steam for the washers, ironers and whatever must cost a pretty penny.
You can still see those heated hanging dryers at the Vanderbilt estate in North Carolina. Before tumble dryers such things were common even in middle class homes. They freed milady or whomever was doing the wash from having to wait for good weather in order to peg things out. Not everyone was thrilled with them. Housekeeping manuals of the period for instance warned items dried in such cabinets would lack the benefits of fresh air and sunshine drying (ie the effects of sun bleaching), and or were apt to dry with a yellow cast.
Whilst the rest of the washing equipment (sinks, dolly peg, wash boards etc) are much older than that. Indeed probably the only "young" equipment other than the washing machines I saw in the clip was the ironer and perhaps extractor.
Now why did I keep expecting the cast from Monty Python to pop out at any moment during the flim clip? *LOL*
The posh woman doing her wash was quite right. Given the small size of many homes and their equipment, a lady could get quite allot of laundry done faster at the wash house. That large ironer certainly would have made much faster work of everything from large sheets to jeans. No folding either, just feed everything through flat. Now why was that woman ironing her smalls? *LOL*
Manger of the place was correct in how dangerous those steam fed washers are. Those look like early washer (and perhaps extractors) that weren't totally if at all automatic. The washman would have controlled the cycles by stopping, starting, filling, draining, opening and closing steam, etc.. Lots of water though! Half way up the glass.
Considering how dear energy costs are, it is no wonder the place is in the red several thousands per year. All that water not to mention fuel source to heat it and or produce steam for the washers, ironers and whatever must cost a pretty penny.
You can still see those heated hanging dryers at the Vanderbilt estate in North Carolina. Before tumble dryers such things were common even in middle class homes. They freed milady or whomever was doing the wash from having to wait for good weather in order to peg things out. Not everyone was thrilled with them. Housekeeping manuals of the period for instance warned items dried in such cabinets would lack the benefits of fresh air and sunshine drying (ie the effects of sun bleaching), and or were apt to dry with a yellow cast.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I could feel the humidity in the air watching that video. The place didn't look very clean, however.
toploader55
Well-known member
Educational
Thank you for posting this. I never knew places like this existed. I'm with you Whirlcool... the place looked pretty schkeevy.
Thank you for posting this. I never knew places like this existed. I'm with you Whirlcool... the place looked pretty schkeevy.
Steam to washers
Even though we had a newer Maytag wringer washer mother would take our laundry once or twice a year to a wringer laundy not far from our farm and use th washers there as they did have the live steam to thrm. They were the older square Maytags that on the sides had the steam piped in. Clothes were first put in a tub with water and were swished around then the wash tub was filled and the wet clothes were put through the wringer right to the washer wahile it was agitating and when full for tha load mother would close the lid and turn on the steam. All the moaning and groaning woulkd happen as the live steam hit the cooler water. While the first load was washing she would finish off damping the rest of the dirty clothes and place in a basket then rinse out the rinse tub and fill all 5 rinse tubs with warm to cold water. Always bluing in the last tub. When taking out the hot clothes used the woodenm stic k to get them out and flop up to the wringer that put the, in the first rinse. When al were out she would put another load of clothes in and start them then procede to rinsxe the clothes 3 times and pace in a basket. For starching she would pay the owner for tghe boiled starch that he made in a wooder bucket that he mixed up the dry starch with cold water then hung on a live steam pipe to cook the starch. When I was about 10 the laundry did add an extractor and 2 steam heated dryers. Mother would pay the $0.05 to have all but the starched clothes extracted then we would carry them home and hang out. This usually happened with her spring cleaning. She took me along and also my 2 sisters as they would also run a machine.
Even though we had a newer Maytag wringer washer mother would take our laundry once or twice a year to a wringer laundy not far from our farm and use th washers there as they did have the live steam to thrm. They were the older square Maytags that on the sides had the steam piped in. Clothes were first put in a tub with water and were swished around then the wash tub was filled and the wet clothes were put through the wringer right to the washer wahile it was agitating and when full for tha load mother would close the lid and turn on the steam. All the moaning and groaning woulkd happen as the live steam hit the cooler water. While the first load was washing she would finish off damping the rest of the dirty clothes and place in a basket then rinse out the rinse tub and fill all 5 rinse tubs with warm to cold water. Always bluing in the last tub. When taking out the hot clothes used the woodenm stic k to get them out and flop up to the wringer that put the, in the first rinse. When al were out she would put another load of clothes in and start them then procede to rinsxe the clothes 3 times and pace in a basket. For starching she would pay the owner for tghe boiled starch that he made in a wooder bucket that he mixed up the dry starch with cold water then hung on a live steam pipe to cook the starch. When I was about 10 the laundry did add an extractor and 2 steam heated dryers. Mother would pay the $0.05 to have all but the starched clothes extracted then we would carry them home and hang out. This usually happened with her spring cleaning. She took me along and also my 2 sisters as they would also run a machine.
This is fiction
but it certainly portrays what public wash houses could be like. Heat, steam, hard work, but also friendship, camaradie support and love. Set in Glasgow on new year's eve 1953 it can make you both laugh and cry - it is of course "The Steamie" - teh Glasgow name for the public wash houses.
Have a trip to the bathroom first and grab a long drink as the link runs and 1hr 18mins
Al
but it certainly portrays what public wash houses could be like. Heat, steam, hard work, but also friendship, camaradie support and love. Set in Glasgow on new year's eve 1953 it can make you both laugh and cry - it is of course "The Steamie" - teh Glasgow name for the public wash houses.
Have a trip to the bathroom first and grab a long drink as the link runs and 1hr 18mins
Al
The Steamie
Glad you posted that Al, a classic to be viewed, get ya hankies ready!!
Nowthen Alex - "Its Grim Up North"...Hhmmmmph
Many of these places where linked to the public bathhouses/pools as well, so the water heating & steam would have been a bi-product of the main feature activity!!!
One could imagine the drying & ironing where a boom for housewives, the lady in the pic was pushing it feeding those "Nylon Naughties" through - surprised they didnt melt on the rollers...LOl
In the 80's when I worked for Agri Electrics in Manchester it was a few minutes away from Bernard Mannings famous "Embassy Club" and the Harpurhey Baths - often wondered what it was like to see it all in use, heres a few pics
Glad you posted that Al, a classic to be viewed, get ya hankies ready!!
Nowthen Alex - "Its Grim Up North"...Hhmmmmph
Many of these places where linked to the public bathhouses/pools as well, so the water heating & steam would have been a bi-product of the main feature activity!!!
One could imagine the drying & ironing where a boom for housewives, the lady in the pic was pushing it feeding those "Nylon Naughties" through - surprised they didnt melt on the rollers...LOl
In the 80's when I worked for Agri Electrics in Manchester it was a few minutes away from Bernard Mannings famous "Embassy Club" and the Harpurhey Baths - often wondered what it was like to see it all in use, heres a few pics
mickeyd
Well-known member
Last night,
I watched this film before bed, and I loved it. How many of us would feel right at home there, even if over-worked?
That one well-dressed lady with all her automatic everything at home, preferring the public laundry--that was something.
I'll just HAVE to get one of those hand held pulsators, in case I ever blow out a bellows again.
Thanks for a look at a closed chapter in laundry history.
I watched this film before bed, and I loved it. How many of us would feel right at home there, even if over-worked?
That one well-dressed lady with all her automatic everything at home, preferring the public laundry--that was something.
I'll just HAVE to get one of those hand held pulsators, in case I ever blow out a bellows again.
Thanks for a look at a closed chapter in laundry history.
mickeyd
Well-known member
Hey Mikey & Westie
M~~Those first exterior and long shots are really striking!
W~~had no idea there were wringer laundries. What a neat story! How I'd love to have seen one. Bet someday someone will find pix.
Hey, it's Automatic Washer where magic happens all the time.
M~~Those first exterior and long shots are really striking!
W~~had no idea there were wringer laundries. What a neat story! How I'd love to have seen one. Bet someday someone will find pix.
Hey, it's Automatic Washer where magic happens all the time.
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