OT: Lurking in the gents

[Bill Wright]

I noticed a structural oddity in the public lavatories at Hall Leys Park, Matlock. As you enter the gents there is a recessed mirror on the right. It's quite large, and it seems odd that it is deeply recessed. It seemed to me that the reflection was slightly less bright than normal. The attendants' store is on the other side of the wall, and as it happened the door was open. Since the attendant was busy at his van I snook in and saw that the area of wall that appeared to be exactly opposite the mirror was covered by a large sheet of plastic, held to the wall with adhesive tape.

Bill

[Jimbo /p]

bona cottage .....tee hee

[Peter Duncanson]

That sounds as though it might be a window.

[michael adams]

Without claiming in any in depth knowledge of the subject I've seen those before and always assumed they were two way mirrors same as the ones you get in airports with customs lurking behind. Maybe these are for the police to hide behind after being tipped off by the attendants about an unacceptable level of hanky panky. And nowadays with the cost of some of them - up to 50p - joe public is more likely to complain about an "unpleasantness" going on.

michael adams

...

[Martin]

Have you told the police?

[Martin]

or a sheet of plastic hiding a one way mirror.

[GB]

Agreed. The attendant covered it over, so he could go inside for a cuppa.

[Hobsons Choice]

Perks of the job eh?

[NY]

Thinking of strange things in Gents, has anyone noticed the public loos in the Scottish border town/villages often have one large room which contains urinals, washbasins and a sit-down toilet - with no partitions around it. In order to give extra privacy for the user of the sit-down toilet, the outside door can be locked - thus locking out anyone who wants to use the urinals.

It seems an odd design, when all that is needed is a partition around the loo for privacy, then there would be no need for the person using it to lock the outside door while he performs.

[Hobsons Choice]

LLJ recalled a story along the lines of that a workshop he was in had a high up shelf on which stood a cardboard box with 'Channel blocks' written on the side. Being so high up no one ever bothered to look what was in it.

Curiosity took over one day and perched on a ladder peering into the box he saw that it was full of those yellow things that are placed in urinals.

[Jonno]

NY scribbled

The design makes it easier to hose it all down after some Jock has shit all over the place.

[Brian-Gaff]

Are you suggesting that its a viewing port of some kind? Brian

[DerbyBorn]

"Brian-Gaff" wrote in news:mquu6e$lph$1@dont- email.me:

Very well cleaned toilets. Supervised and secured.

[Bill Wright]

I'm not suggesting anything. I'm leaving that to you.

Bill

[Graham.]

Just in case that's too vague for out younger readers, I'll explain.

Les Lawry-Johns wrote articles for (Practical) Television Magazine, so the context is a television repair shop.

One might imagine a box so described, contained removable coils for a VHF turret tuner.

HTH.

[Graham.]

I have already mentioned a recurring dream about toilets, one variation that I dreamt once was set in the public gents toilets in Biggar. In the dream it is very primitive, like the inside of a cave. In actual fact it is a well kept modern convenience albeit in a very old building.

[Adrian]

You dream about being in the Biggar gents' toilet...?

[Ian Jackson]

In message , Graham. writes

Weren't these known as 'biscuits' (possibly because they sort-of resembled small Bourbons)?

[Bob Eager]

I've passed throgh Biggar many times, but never stopped. Perhaps I shall!

[Jethro_uk]

Or cakes ...