November Vaughan Forum: 'Caught short: London’s loos since the 1960s'

In ’Caught short’: London’s loos since the 1960s’ Simon Fowler and Dan Weinbren look at the impact of toilets on public life over the past sixty years. As well as providing an important function of providing a safe and private place to pee, it also accommodated other functions such as venues for the illegal activities of drug addicts and homosexual men. Local Leicester lad Joe Orton wrote graphically of his experiences in London’s toilets. Over the past six decades, public loos have virtually disappeared from the streets. What do more recent developments tell us about shifts in gender and class identities and the public/private dichotomy?

About the Presenters

Simon Fowler has recently started a PhD at Leicester on the history of tourism. He has some 30 years’ experience as an archivist, historian and genealogist and has written and lectured on a wide variety of subjects from pubs to workhouses.

Based at the Open University since the last century Dr Dan Weinbren has taught and published on a range of social mutual and business histories often with a focus on London.

They are the co-authors of Now the war is over. Britain 1919-20 (2018).

Event details

The Forum will start at 6.30pm and run to 7.45pm. Tea and cake will be provided from 6.15pm. It will be held in Leicester Adult Education College on Belvoir Street. The nearest car park is the Newark Street Car Park but you can park for free on the surrounding streets, e.g. Wellington Street and King Street. There are bike racks next to the main entrance.

About the Vaughan Forum

The Vaughan Forum is a series of talks, discussions or workshops hosted by Leicester Vaughan College. To find other Leicester Vaughan College events visit: https://vaughan.coop/courses/

Image:  South End Green, Gospel Oak