The London Nobody Knows w/ James Mason

[DrummondStreet]

Here is a link to the The London Nobody Knows with James Mason. He visits the site of Annie Chapman's murder, 29 Hanbury, before it was demolished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jju1Mx5P_OU

Additionally, here is a photo of the Victorian lavatory in Star Yard that Mason visited in the documentary. It is still there! Has anyone from Casebook ever "visited" it?

http://www.urban75.org/london/star-yard-london-wc2.html

[Robert]

Star Yard WC WC2.

"It has been padlocked for years." Smart move by the cleaner.

[DrummondStreet]

Ahhhhhh....I didn't see the part about it being "padlocked for years." Oh well. I'm still curious about what it looked like inside and whether it had conventional plumbing.

[Robert]

Hi Drummond

This is apparently a bit of the interior though you can't see much. There is a reference to a Rumpole of the Bailey episode too :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenlad/1464593471/

http://www.hevac-heritage.org/items_of_interest/public_health/street_urinals/street_urinals.htm

[Bridewell]

Here is a link to the The London Nobody Knows with James Mason. He visits the site of Annie Chapman's murder, 29 Hanbury, before it was demolished.

Also available as a DVD:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=the+london+nobody+knows+dvd&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=8235796609&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2089026131565009474&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_4o0tu2x3ir_b

It seems to have gone up in price in recent months.

Regards, Bridewell.

[Robert]

Yes, too many people know about The London Nobody Knows.

[Cogidubnus]

This is apparently a bit of the interior though you can't see much

Indeed...somebody appears to have taken the piss out of the pissoire...

All the best

Dave

[DrummondStreet]

Thanks so much Robert. I didn't realize that it was just a urinal and did not contain a proper, flushing toilet. Also there was no sink for washing up. Ick! Did the urinals simply empty into pipes that led to the sewers or did they actually flush? Anyone know? I just picked up Subterranean City from the library and will check to see if it mentions the plumbing system used for Victorian public toilets.

They truly are beautiful structures despite their intended purpose.

Bridewell, thanks for the amazon link, but I live in the States. I haven't been able to locate a region 1 copy, but might purchase the book. Anyone know if it contains lots of photos?

[Robert]

Hi Drummond

I can't say that I know much about public toilets, either of today or of yesteryear. I do know, from the rare occasions I've used them, that the trough ones are a bloody nuisance. Some idiot flings some paper hand towel in there, it gets blocked and so there is a pool. Then the bloody thing flushes just as you're standing there, producing a certain amount of splashing which must be carefully dodged.

[Bridewell]

Playing Region 2 DVD's.

Bridewell, thanks for the amazon link, but I live in the States. I haven't been able to locate a region 1 copy,

Hi Drummond,

Being ignorant of the difference between Region 1 and Region 2 copies, I sent a Region 2 copy to a friend in the USA. After some initial difficulty she found a computer which would play it through the Disc Drive. There are only a couple of minutes of footage of Hanbury Street, if that, but the film as a whole is worth viewing IMHO.

Regards, Bridewell.

[DrummondStreet]

Bridewell: That's good to know. I try to hold out for a region 1 so that I can play it on my TV (bigger screen and better location for group viewing in my home). But if there is something that I really want and it's only available on region 2, I now know that watching it on my computer is still an option. I was able to watch the entire video on youtube and honestly found the Victorian bathrooms the most interesting segment in the documentary. (Did anyone else feel sorry for those poor goldfish?) I wonder if Mason visited any of the other JtR sites but the footage was excluded from the final cut.

Robert: Sorry to hear that you get splashed so often. I wonder why they don't install splash guards --a short wall about knee-high or so on the open side of the trough. Maybe that would fix the problem. Or... maybe you can hold an umbrella in front of you with one hand and aim with the other

Does anyone have a link to the Ripperologist article about Victorian bathrooms? I came across it a year or so ago and it was quite interesting. I think it might answer some questions I have about the plumbing system.

[Robert]

Drummond, should I ever use one again I will be sure to be dressed like Patrick Macnee in The Avengers.