Public toilets in Charlbury

Tue 2 Sep, 22:10

Harry Pickup did invent Harpic, but he sold the company before he moved from London to Charlbury. However he set up a lab for other products in his stables at Wychwood House before beginning manufacture at the Old Slaughter House in Fishers Lane and later at the Old Gas House by the station. Charlbury has a truly fascinating social and economic heritage.

Tue 2 Sep, 21:49

Funny you should mention HARPIC father. Wychwood House was once owned by HARry PICup the inventor of said chemical. I am told there used to be a chemical factory somewhere in the station area. I suggest in memory of said gentleman the loos should be kept open.

Tue 2 Sep, 20:36

The WODC proposal is HARPIC…clean round the bend. 

Tue 2 Sep, 17:33

A truly Clochmerle item at last.

Tue 2 Sep, 17:05

In our increasingly cashless world, it seems antedi-loo-vian not to make other means of payment possible (if we're going to have to spend 20 pennies to use these facilities). Let's hope the closeted councillors see sense, are flushed with embarrassment at this proposal, and don't drive visitors round the U-bend: there are few crapper things than a town with no conveniences.

Tue 2 Sep, 16:52 (last edited on Tue 2 Sep, 17:01)

Laura, the ladies loos are in the station building and are only open when the building is manned and the ticket office is open. At the moment the hours are advertised as Monday to Friday: 05:50 - 12:20; Saturday: 06:45 - 13:15; Sunday closed. Often, in fact, the building is closed during some of those hours and days when the station manager is on leave or has other commitments.

The Gents' loo is outside the building, by the ticket machine, and has a separate entrance. For a long time it was completely closed (frozen pipes and other disasters) and needed to be completely refurbished. It's now open again, I believe, and for more hours than the ladies' loo, but I'm not sure if it's open in the evenings. I have sometimes noticed that it is closed. The Charlbury Station website doesn't give the hours. It also says no accessible toilets available.

It's a particular problem when trains are cancelled as, indeed, they often are.

Tue 2 Sep, 16:39

As a town that encourages hikers, dog walkers and tourism in general, we absolutely should have public access loo's. There is a national shortage of them already; even in busy cities it can be difficult to find a loo that isn't inside a coffee shop. Like you say, in  Charlbury, our options can limited out of hours of the toilets beside Co-Op. At very busy times, like the Street Fair, I imagine they get quite a lot of use though. You mention there are no Ladies' at the station - are they out of order? Is the Gentlemens' open? 

Tue 2 Sep, 15:35 (last edited on Tue 2 Sep, 16:55)

A news item has appeared stating that WODC is considering closing the public toilets in Charlbury because they are not much used and are too expensive to maintain.

It says that in Charlbury there are alternatives available. I am not sure what WODC has in mind. There are some toilets available in the Community Centre, but the Community Centre closes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 pm. On weekends and bank holidays it closes at 4 and doesn't open until 10. There's a code to get into the building outside those hours, but for insurance reasons that code can't be shared.

There are no ladies toilets at the Station, except for a few hours on (some) mornings when the station building is open. The toilet in the Deli is not great, and in any case the Deli now closes at 3. The toilet in the Rose and Crown is not very suitable for children, and neither the Bull nor the Bell are exactly welcoming to those wanting to use their facilities. And what are the alternative facilities for those with disabilities? 

WODC says that usage is low. That might be because the toilets by the Coop close at 7.30 pm. Only recently, it was reported the drivers for Kemala Harris's party at The Bull went into the Coop and asked if they could use the toilets. They were told that the public toilets were closed, and were sent instead to the Rose and Crown.

The low usage might also be because of the need for 20p coins. I suspect usage has declined in recent years because no card-access option has been introduced.

If Charlbury is going to be a "Walkers are Welcome" town, it surely needs some public toilets. Indeed, I think that toilets should also be available for everyone who lives, works, visits and delivers to the town.