By the late 1800s, indoor toilets had become the norm in new middle class homes in Scotland. And yet, in the 1970s, in Govan in the south of Glasgow and in many other parts of Scotland, families still lived in tenement houses without an internal bathroom or toilet.
Did tenements have bathrooms?
The Tenement House Act of 1867 legally defined a tenement for the first time and set construction regulations; among these were the requirement of one toilet (or privy) per 20 people.
Where was the bathroom in a tenement?
As for toilet facilities, they were communal. You either went in the hall or in an outhouse between tenements (as seen below), or on the roof.
Why do Glasgow tenements have high ceilings?
They were built for wealth merchants and other business types who wanted high ceilings because it looked impressive.
Are there any tenements left in Glasgow?
The city is known for its tenements, where a common stairwell is informally known as a close. These were the most popular form of housing in 19th- and 20th-century Glasgow and remain the most common form of dwelling in Glasgow today.
How did people in tenements use the bathroom?
Many buildings and homes did not have indoor plumbing of any kind until the mid to late 19th century. Residents used outhouses and chamber pots as toilets, with tenement homes often forcing 25 or 30 people to share one latrine.
Where did people use the bathroom before plumbing?
Pre-Indoor Plumbing
Washing took place at a washstand in the bedroom, with a pitcher and a bowl; defecating happened in the outhouse or the chamber pot; bathing, when it occasionally happened, was often in a tub by the stove in the kitchen, where the hot water was.
How did people get water in tenements?
Early residents would tap into those water sources through privately-owned wells that would provide fresh water for drinking.
When did they start putting bathrooms in houses?
The art and practice of indoor plumbing took nearly a century to develop, starting in about the 1840s. In 1940 nearly half of houses lacked hot piped water, a bathtub or shower, or a flush toilet. Over a third of houses didn’t have a flush toilet.
Did tenements have showers?
Original tenements lacked toilets, showers, baths, and even flowing water. A single spigot in the backyard provided all the water for the building’s tenants to cook, do laundry, and clean.
What are Glasgow tenement walls made of?
stone
Tenements are characteristically of traditional construction, with stone outer walls and brick inner walls and party walls, typically four storeys high, but this can extend up to eight storeys.
What were the slums in Glasgow called?
Nearly 40,000 people live in the Gorbals. they live for, six eight to a room, often thirty to a lavatory, forty to a tap. they live in Britain’s most abandoned slum.
What’s the difference between an apartment and a tenement?
Legally, the term “tenement” refers to an apartment building with multiple dwellings, usually with a few apartments on each floor that all share an entry staircase. However, some people refer to tenements as a reference to low-income housing.
Do the Gorbals still exist?
The districts are now known as the Gorbals, Laurieston, Tradeston, Kingston and Hutchesontown. The Little Govan estate, including a small village of the same name, were replaced by the eastern parts of Hutchesontown and Oatlands.
Did tenement houses have running water?
Some tenements had a single water line with a tap in the hall on each floor. Most, however, had both the water source and toilets in the shallow backyard. In some cases the toilets were placed between a front building and a rear tenement erected at the back of the lot.
What is the lowest life expectancy in Glasgow?
Average life expectancy in the UK was 79.0 years for males and 82.9 years for females. Over the latest year life expectancy has fallen in all UK countries. Female life expectancy at birth was highest in East Renfrewshire (84.0 years) and lowest in Glasgow City (78.3 years).
When did Scotland get indoor plumbing?
In 1972, the first indoor toilet and bathroom was installed in the Govan tenement home of Annie Gibbons.
How do toilets flush in Scotland?
Scottish Water has issued a reminder to flush only the 3Ps – pee, poo and toilet paper– to help keep the country’s sewers free from blockages. Un-flushable alternatives to toilet paper which are not biodegradable are a major cause of sewer chokes resulting in flooding.
How were outhouses cleaned?
Most outhouses were cleaned periodically. On certain wash days, leftover soapy water was carried to the outhouse and used to scrub everything down. In addition, some outhouse owners kept a bag of lime with a tin can in the outhouse, and occasionally dumped some down the holes to control the odor.
How did Victorians wipe their bottoms?
One of the more popular early American wiping objects was the dried corn cob. A variety of other objects were also used, including leaves, handfuls of straw, and seashells. As paper became more prominent and expendable, early Americans began using newspapers, catalogs, and magazines to wipe.
Where did Indian kings defecate?
If you visit the Agra fort or Fatehpur sikri in your Agra tour packages you still get to see such toilet places where the kings and queens used to go to poop in the medieval times. If you plan for Jaipur tour packages and happen to visit the Amer fort you can see the royal toilets.