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Symonds Street Toilets

 

These have been a feature of Auckland City for many years, ever since 1910 exactly. The public toilets are on the corner of Grafton Road and Symonds Street and for quite some time they looked run down and grubby.  Normally I wouldn't post about public loos but these are such an historic icon.


In August this year they were given a $910,000 upgrade thanks to the Waitemata Local Board. The toilets were originally built for tram passengers and co-incided with the opening of Grafton Bridge. Up until the mid 1800s people could only go to the toilet in a hotel, bush or side street and they could be charged for with indecency if in a public place. Auckland City opened it's first public toilets in 1863 on Queen Street Wharf but these were only for men and it wasn't until the Symonds Street ones opened in 1910 that women were able to use them. (Information from Our Auckland).

Linking up with Through my lens, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesday Treasures, My corner of the world and Wordless Wednesday.

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Comments

roentare said…
Such a great piece of history and wonderful scenery!
28 December 2022 at 00:13
DawnTreader said…
That's rather amazing that they've been in the same place for so long! ... I have a penfriend in Australia (nowadays mostly Facebook-friend), she and her husband have a camper van and travel a lot, and she has made a "thing" of taking photos of all the varieties of public toilets that they come across... Quite a collection by now!!
28 December 2022 at 05:04
Bill said…
We have a public toilet building here, your building it a lot more impressive though.
28 December 2022 at 05:15
At Home In New Zealand said…
I believe (from what my grandmother has told me) that it was not considered "ladylike" to admit that women needed to use a toilet! I'm so glad it is different now :)
28 December 2022 at 07:31
Tom said…
...this is spectacular!
29 December 2022 at 01:22
William Kendall said…
It looks spruced up.
29 December 2022 at 05:20
Pisi Prkl said…
Very beautiful building! Glad it´s been saved.
29 December 2022 at 12:24
Tigger's Mum said…
I am constantly amazed by stuff from my own country. Women probably had the vote before they had access to public toilets. Go figure!
29 December 2022 at 21:08
Yogi♪♪♪ said…
That's wild that there were no public restrooms for women. I kind of wonder what the thinking process is.
30 December 2022 at 15:47
PR said…
It's such an important need, but sadly still a problem in my home country India. I sometimes wonder how can we spend billions to go to the outer space, but not spend just a teeny tiny bit of money in making the lives of people living down on the Earth even slightly better! It's one of those mysteries that have no answers I guess 🤔.
3 January 2023 at 01:51
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