A young woman at a communal sink in a backcourt at 50 Crown Street, Gorbals, c 1925. The door behind her appears to be that of the toilet.
Outside toilets were a common feature of Glasgow tenements until the late 19th century. Subsequently tenements were built with or renovated to include a shared water closet on each stair landing.
Refuse can be seen piled up in the "midgie" (midden) at the back of the courtyard.
Reference: TEMP.2039.1023
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
back stairs, backcourts, communal sinks, middens, midgies, outside toilets, rubbish bins, shared toilets, teenagers, tenements, water closets, women