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50 Crown Street

People's Palace, Social History File

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50 Crown Street

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



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