When Were The First Modern Public Toilets Fitted In Britain?

The Great Exhibition  in 1851 at London’s Crystal Palace, was the first World’s Fair, and amongst the many great  inventions, was a set of Monkey Closets with the first pub­lic flushing toilet,

During  the exhibition 827,280 visitors paid one penny each to use these modern toilets, complete with a tow­el, comb and shoe shine.

It was so popular that the term “spend a penny” is still part of British slang to this day.

It also inadvertently contributed to the long-term success of the famed Crystal Palace, as the toilets alone made £1000 per year after the building was moved to Sydenham once the Great Exhibition was ended.

The pop­ularity of this invention was such that the first public toilets op­ened the foll­owing year and were known as Public Waiting Rooms. Even then, the prevail­ing modesty of Victorian society assumed women would be too embarrassed to be seen entering them.

This led to the widespread proliferation of public toilets, particularly underground ones that often exist today albeit converted into other facilities.

Details of the “Closet of the Century” 1894 As featured in Temples of Convenience by Lucinda Lambton, Published by St Martins Press,

The Great Exhibition  in 1851 at London’s Crystal Palace, was the first World’s Fair, and amongst the many great  inventions, was a set of Monkey Closets with the first pub­lic flushing toilet,

During  the exhibition 827,280 visitors paid one penny each to use these modern toilets, complete with a tow­el, comb and shoe shine.

It was so popular that the term “spend a penny” is still part of British slang to this day.

It also inadvertently contributed to the long-term success of the famed Crystal Palace, as the toilets alone made £1000 per year after the building was moved to Sydenham once the Great Exhibition was ended.

The pop­ularity of this invention was such that the first public toilets op­ened the foll­owing year and were known as Public Waiting Rooms. Even then, the prevail­ing modesty of Victorian society assumed women would be too embarrassed to be seen entering them.

This led to the widespread proliferation of public toilets, particularly underground ones that often exist today albeit converted into other facilities.