Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum is a Grade II listed building in the Bath and North East Somerset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 October 1987. Public lavatory.
Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum
- WRENN ID
- nether-dormer-auburn
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Constituency
- Bath MP: Wera Hobhouse (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 30 October 1987
- Type
- Public lavatory
- OS grid reference
- ST 756 653
- Coordinates
- 51.38628, -2.35075
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
These ladies' public lavatories, dating from circa 1914, are a notable example of cast iron construction, manufactured by the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow to MacFarlane's patent design. The structure employs cast iron for its walls and a glass roof.
The building's footprint is roughly rectangular, featuring cubicles positioned on either side of a central passage. Externally, the structure is based on a rectangular tubular framework supporting cast iron panels embellished with decorative bands, resting upon a plinth. The plinth is articulated by decorative frames, with square decorative panels at dado level. A pierced ventilation frieze adorns the upper portion.
Inside, the entrance is screened by grille doors offering views through opposing openings, with three cubicles located on each side.
Sydney Gardens were originally laid out between 1792 and 1794 by Thomas Baldwin, with Charles Harcourt Masters taking over in 1794. They opened in 1795 as Sydney Gardens Vauxhall, quickly becoming a popular entertainment venue. A section of the Kennet and Avon Canal was cut through the gardens in 1799, and additional features were introduced throughout the early 19th century. The arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1839 sliced through a portion of the gardens. The site was purchased by Bath City Council in 1908, with the gardens opening as a municipal park in 1913 and the Sydney Tavern being remodelled into the Holburne of Menstrie Museum. The lavatories were added circa 1914, chosen for their cost-effectiveness. Subsequent additions of later facilities in the late 20th century rendered these cast iron lavatories obsolete. The gardens remain a public park.
The lavatories are designated at Grade II for their unusual survival as a complete example of industrial prefabrication applied to a specialized building. Despite being mass-produced, the quality of the casting is high, and the decorative elements are more elaborate than typically required for a utilitarian structure. They also possess group value in association with the nearby gentlemen's lavatories of a similar date, as well as the other listed buildings and structures within Sydney Gardens.
Local climate
Ladies' Public Lavatories Circa 50 Metres North of Holburne of Menstrie Museum receives an average of 860 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 60% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 64% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 34 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 52% of listed buildings. Of these, 15 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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