Public wash-house Liverpool (1959) | BFI National Archive

Admire the industriousness of the Liverpool women who transport huge bundles of laundry to and from the local wash-house every week, crammed into old prams or balanced skilfully on their heads. The wash-house doubles as a social hub for the women, with a cafe and creche facilities. At the time of filming, this one in the Pontack Lane area was one of 13 remaining original public wash-houses in the city, although new more modernised buildings were under construction.Liverpool's last working wash-house closed in 1995.

The peppy documentary not only looks at the modern wash-house, but introduces the story of Kitty Wilkinson, 'the Saint of the Slums', who pioneered the public wash-house movement in Liverpool during the 1832 cholera epidemic. John Abbot Productions, who made the film, specialised in sponsored non-fiction films from the late 1950s to the late 1970s.

[charlyshay]

Hurray for the photographers who think to record the mundane tasks of every day life. That's what makes history come alive for me. 👍👏

[marigold]

Don't forget these women had just lived through the blitz as well. I have nothing but respect for these women and men.

[friendlyadvice]

I'll never complain about doing the laundry again.

[Tony-hbp]

In 1 minute 27 seconds the woman at the washing machine is a woman named Anne Scott. At the time she lived in Everton. Her husbands name was John. They had 10 kids. All well looked after. And they all had many ferry trips to New Brighton and many sundays out to the local parks. They were great days.

[cvbaxter]

I recall my mum talking about the Liverpool wash houses when I was little girl. The women somehow used the wash house to cook potatoes during their time at the building and then took the cooked potatoes home to prepare their family's meals. They must have placed the potatoes somewhere hot for them to bake or roast, near to the washing boilers perhaps. Talk about time management, that's resourcefulness for you! It's amazing to remember that from my mum's recollections. I wish I'd have listened more closely now to remember how they achieved it. (Mum was born in 1926 on Athol Street, off Scotland Road and passed away a long time ago. I'll be 63 this year.)

[LauraBidingCitizen]

Times were bloody hard back then, my mother was born in 1946 & often recalls her mothers washing regime once a week; my mum still soaks clothes in big buckets despite having a washing machine, before getting my father to empty them into the sink, soak in comfort by hand & spin off in the machine. She doesn’t do this with everything, mostly bed sheets. Despite me voicing the fact the machine does it all, she’s stuck in her ways; although I’m worried now she’s not as able bodied it’ll get too much for her & Dad.

The thing is, you had such a huge sense of community back then which is missing now. Everyone knew everyone, kids knew one another, more like siblings than friends, people left their doors open, no one thought twice to pop round for some sugar or a drop of milk before pay day. Elders were always taken care of as were new mums & the sick.
Nothing like that these days.. breaks your heart. I’m 33, disabled & live alone. I wish I had friends or neighbours to talk to.
Thanks for the lovely video x

[helennorman]

I think it was also an opportunity for women to meet up and as stated there was a cafe and creche. There was a sort of community. And mutual support, we were less isolated.

[richardbrown]

Fascinating social document. That film was made in my lifetime yet it seems to be about a lost world.

[roytait]

clean clothes, proud women and a sense of togetherness. Plus provided services that met peoples needs. Well done Liverpool

[martinmartinmoone]

My late mammy used the wash house behind saint Vincent's school on park lane in Liverpool, myself and my 5 brothers had no idea of the hardship but I'm eternally grateful for what she and many other women up and down the country did, well done mammys

[pahrahinc]

The Mrs. says: I watch British television and news on You Tube a lot, now I am seeing an old woman wash her clothes in a big wash house and I started to cry, Life did not hand me any roses and I can relate to her hardships right here where I was Born, America, I worked in Factories in Electronics and had to tape up my fingers because I was making cables and we were all blistered and bloody from the wires so we taped up all our fingers every day and did not dare complain, there were plenty waiting for our jobs and women were not treated well, all we were was a bunch of dogs on a rope. Never take anything for granted not even a piece of buttered toast, I can tell you I lived a day that that piece of toast would have been a gourmet's delight.

[allisonmcdonough]

God bless these women my grandmother was one of them

[telboyynwa]

I was born in 1956 one of four, I was the eldest. Every Monday morning mum headed off to the wash house off Kensington Rd/ Gilead St, Liverpool 7. All the washing for the week was bundled in a bed sheet and pushed in a pram to the wash house. Luckily the wash house had large clothes dryers. After drying mum returned home with neatly folded clothes tied to the pram with washing line. The following day mum spent ironing them. They were hard times but mum met other women and enjoyed the social aspect of the event. 😊

[hariboify]

What a lovely service provided for the community. Childcare and refreshments available as well.

[kiliipower]

Hello from Germany.
My mother had received a washing machine for her wedding (1964) as a gift.
She said later: "With two small children, two old people and a man who brings dirty work clothes home, a blessing.
I think many people today forget what it was like without a machine.

[tonysilver]

These ladies kept their homes going god bless them all they were hero's !!

[clamh]

I would love this. As a mother of 5 I can tell you that an industrial sized washing machine to get all the laundry done in a day would be wonderful for me. Also, it can be soul destroyingly lonely staying at home, raising kids and doing housework. Life is so focused on the home that it can be difficult to meet new people.

[blighty]

There was a saying in Liverpool.. about certain women...."She'll be the talk of the Wash House "

[anstriagreenwood]

We still had a big copper boiler for the stop of the stove that linens and baby nappies were boiled in in the 1950s. It was years before my mum got a hoover washer-extractor unit - it had to be wheeled over to the sink, the machine hose attached to the faucet and filled. Same with the extractor, water dumped onto the sink from an attached hose. Everything was then dried outside or on racks in kitchen in winter. My granny went to a communal washhouse with the old tubs as shown here. one washhouse for every row of houses - every woman had her assigned day. All washed by hand in a boiler, all mangled with a manual machine then dried outdoors. I still have a clothesline and do a lot of delicates by hand, but I am so grateful to have a washing machine and dryer.

[donkinghan]

Not only were the people tough in those days but so were the clothes! Boiled, scrubbed and pummeled with heavy metal bar...they didnt buy them out of Primark...😉