Hidden Henley

My picture shows the Kings Road side of Henley Town Hall on a December early morning in dim light, but you may be able to make out that one of the lower windows is different from the rest. It’s the same story on the other side of this outstanding building, which we usually only view from the front.

A few decades ago along by Mill Meadows there were unusual public toilets positioned on stilts (not the correct term!) because of the flood risk. Also curiously, in many cities and in our neighbouring town of Reading such conveniences could be found underground at St Mary’s Butts accessed in the middle of the road, and underground in the Cornmarket and Kings Road, almost opposite what was Huntley & Palmers back then. Similarly, at this spot on our town hall in the days before the pedestrianised Falaise Square the toilets were accessed by steps taking the user below ground level from an entrance where the different window opening is now. Gentlemen on the side in my photo and Ladies on the other side of the town hall. More recently they have been replaced by modern facilities close by, and where there was once lavatories there are now offices.

Official signs from back in those days would probably generate a puzzled frown from people nowadays. In the Gentleman’s facilities there was often the instruction to “Please adjust your dress before leaving”! Unofficial signs were commonplace, for example the rather upsetting “Don’t throw your cigarette ends in the urinal. It makes them soggy and difficult to light”. Smoking went on almost everywhere up until around twenty years ago.

Perhaps I should mention that our town has more and better public toilets than most of our neighbouring towns, some of which provide none at all.