My trip today was to the very pretty churchyard of St. Quiricus & St. Julietta in the small Somerset village of Tickenham. As there was unlikely to be any public conveniences available at my destination I took the precaution of seeking out a suitable place in Clevedon where I changed buses.
Fortunately, the local council has provided two unisex units in the centre of town at Station Road in The Triangle - opposite Morrison's Supermarket. The cost was 20p per visit but that is not unreasonable in this day and age. My only cause for concern was the fact that they were the new fangled variety with electrically operated doors. Horror of horrors should they malfunction ! My fears were not allayed when the gentleman in front of me in the queue found that the vacant unit would not accept any variety of coins - that left one unit in operation. As I patiently waited my turn I read the notice on the door which said that if you did not pay the 20p (i.e. if the person coming out just held the door open for the next occupant) then the door would not lock ! When it was my turn I most definitely paid my dues and when the button was pressed to lock the door a recorded voice bellowed out that the door would open automatically after 15 minutes if the button was not pressed to unlock before that. I am extremely pleased to say that there was no electrical malfunction and I was released unharmed. The facilities were basic but clean and served their purpose.
Then it was on to Tickenham where I spent a wonderful couple of hours in the summer sunshine photographing headstones and partaking of a picnic lunch in the churchyard.
On my return to Clevedon I walked along the esplanade and made my way to the old pier - the only fully intact Grade 1 listed pier in the country. Well worth the small entrance fee to gain admittance and to walk along to the wonderful Pagoda Tearoom @ the end of the pier. What a beautiful spot for an afternoon cup of tea - and for those not on diets to sample cream teas or home made sponges.
But there is no space for toilets on this old pier so the conveniences in Alexandra Road - just opposite the pier - are operated by the Pier Conservation Trust. Naturally, they are only open during the same hours as the pier. The picture at the top of this post shows the pretty location of the Ladies facilities - the Gentlemen's facilities are "down below". Once inside one is greeted with old style tiled floors and overhead cisterns (but not quite old enough to bear the name of Thomas Crapper !). I smiled when I noticed the loo roll holder on the back of the wooden door - how reminiscent of my school days back in the 1950s. To my delight there was a traditional black bolt to lock me in - no new fangled electrical gadgets here. There is no obligatory charge at this facility, however, patrons are requested to leave a donation towards the upkeep should they feel so inclined.
A nice traditional "spend a penny" loo.
Before I end for today mention must be made of the Grade II listed Doulton Drinking Fountain which can be found just below the Ladies facility in Alexandra Road. What a beautiful piece of Victoriana erected in 1895 and restored in 1992.
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