Toilet memories (From York Press)

Toilet memories

12:09pm Friday 21st September 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

THE Press item 100 years ago of September 10 mentioned night soil carts on the cobbles causing annoyance.

This reminds me of my experiences aged eight years old when visiting my grandparents in Stalybridge, Manchester, when sanitation in the form of toilet facilities was still in the dark ages.

The outside toilet, complete with wooden non-splinter-proof wooden seat, bucket of water, frozen in winter, was situated at the bottom of a very long garden, with no lighting except a candle with torn newspaper to provide relief and reading material.

The now-defunct Daily Herald, although still politically neutral, increased my literacy; my times tables increased watching the nightly game of whist under a gas mantle.

Early morning sleep was disturbed by the night soil carts taking away sewage from cess pools, combined with clog wearing workers en route to the cotton mills.

As for health and safety regulations, when there is another drought remember before flushing the toilet to have a chamber pot handy and use the bath and washing up water; they do say everything that goes around, comes around.

Kenneth Bowker, Vesper Walk, Huntington , York.