1. Background

 

Public urination caused damage and staining to the structure of Norwich's historic buildings. By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63519626

Norwich, the county town of Norfolk, was since the Anglo-Saxon era one of England's major trading cities.^[1] By the early 14th century Norwich was considered the second city of England after London,^[2] and was one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the country;^[3] the relaxation of trade restrictions in the 17th century led to the city becoming a fashionable shopping destination.^[4] The opening of Norwich railway station in 1844 led to a larger increase in the numbers of people visiting the city and in particular Norwich Market and the shops in the surrounding area.^[5][6] With much of the land on and around the marketplace privately owned or owned by the city's many churches, the 19th century authorities were unable to rationalise or redesign the layout of the area to address the problems caused by crowding.^[6]

By the mid 19th century, the numbers of large crowds visiting the area, coupled with a lack of public toilets, was causing concerns about public urination in the area.^[7] Inspector W. Lee, reporting on Norwich for the General Board of Health in 1851, wrote of the "very offensive places" caused by men urinating in corners and in particular urinating in the passageways surrounding churchyards,^[8] and the 1853 Paving, Cleaning, Sewerage and Lighting Committee reported on the "extensive use of urinal corners scattered about the city".^[7]

 

Surviving 19th-century "Committ no Nuisance" sign in central Norwich.^[9] By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63518500

Despite general agreement that the situation was problematic, and the Public Health Act 1875 creating a statutory duty for local authorities to address public hygiene issues, proposals to build public urinals were opposed by businesses and other organisations near the proposed urinal sites.^[10] Those urinals which were built also led to problems, with local residents complaining about the smell from uncleaned urinals.^[11][12]

2. Installation

Ethelbert Gate. By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63518793

St George's Church. By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63519208

Two of the earliest documented anti urination devices, at St Ethelbert's Gate and St George's Church, Tombland. Both were in place by the time of the 1885 Ordnance Survey.

To address the problems caused by public urination and the lack of urinals, in the later 19th century the owners of buildings took to installing anti urination devices, architectural elements specifically intended to discourage public urination.^[13] The records of the decisions to install anti urination devices are lost,^[7] but they first appear on Ordnance Survey maps in 1885.^[11][14]

The most common form of anti urination device was a solid structure with a rough, sloping surface. As well as forcing the man to stand back from the wall and at greater risk of being seen, the angle would cause any stream of urine to fall back on the urinator's feet and legs. Invariably built in alleyways, churchyards and other places somewhat hidden from public view,^[13] this type of anti urination device was generally built in materials to match and blend in with surrounding structures.^[15] Those anti urination devices built to protect churches were often built using high-quality flint, to blend in better with the traditional flintwork used for most medieval civic buildings in Norfolk.^[16] A downspout would often be installed directly above them, to reduce the need for cleaning.^[15]

Although some anti urination devices, particularly early examples, formed a smooth sloping surface, the most common design was that of a tapered cross-section of a cone, set into the corner of a building. This style is particularly often found on churches, where the sharp angles between external buttresses and the church walls created numerous dimly-lit corners, ideal for urination.

Concrete anti urination device in Westwick Street, Norwich, installed in 1898.^[17] By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63518914

A surviving metal anti urination device, attached to a former bank in Bedford Street, Norwich. By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63519442

As well as the stone, brick or flint anti urination devices intended to deflect a stream of urine back upon its creator, some other anti urination devices consisted of a curved metal bar, studded with spikes and positioned at the height of a typical man's groin. Any man attempting to approach the corner or climb the bar would risk injuries to his genitals; consequently, it was hoped that men would be dissuaded from approaching these corners to urinate. Very few metal examples survive; it is likely that, as with many other metal railings throughout the UK, they were seized as scrap metal during the Second World War.^[16]

3. Improved Public Toilet Provision

By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63519110

The installation of public toilets meant less need for anti urination devices. Early urinals such as that built in 1902 outside St. Andrew's Hall were built to blend in with existing civic architecture; later examples such as the free-standing "butterfly" urinals in Prince of Wales Road have a more functional appearance. By Iridescent - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63519480

Despite public objections, from the 1890s onwards public toilets became more common in central Norwich, leading to public urination ceasing to be a major issue. Built to elaborate designs to assuage public concerns about their intrusiveness, many are architecturally noteworthy, and one 1919 public urinal in St. Crispin's Road is a listed building in its own right.^[18][19] From the 1980s onwards, with improved provision of toilets in shops, pubs and shopping centres, many of these earlier public toilets in their turn fell into disrepair and were closed down.^[11]

It is not recorded how many anti urination devices were built in total.^[7] Many of them were built to address a specific issue and either subsequently deteriorated or were removed, and many more were destroyed in the 1930s and 1960s redevelopment of parts of the city centre, or destroyed during the Second World War.^[20] (As of 2016) approximately 30 were recorded in central Norwich, with a few other examples scattered throughout other parts of East Anglia.^[21]

Public urination continues to be a problem in parts of Norwich. The rear of St Gregory's Church is still commonly used for public urination (the front remains protected by its large flint anti urination device).^[17] In 2005 there was a sharp increase in the problem of people urinating through letter boxes in the city centre, particularly in the vicinity of Prince of Wales Road,^[22] while there have been sustained issues with people urinating in gardens in the area.^[23]

4. Footnotes