The people who turned public toilets into homes and businesses

Among all bizarre items for sale on Facebook marketplace, A “Townhouse” with a price of £ 70,000 Stands out as a particularly unusual list – not at least because the property is an old public toilet.

A creative with a vision can see a bright future that the derivative sheffield luo, similar to others who have become a living place, similar, Galleries And Bruise,

Laura Jane Clarke, an architect at London, left a “disgusting” in a house at a house at the Crystal Palace in London.

“My first though was an art gallery or bar, but then I really realize, we could live here,” he said.

“After persuading the council to sell me for a business, I had to go back and asked them to stay – I think they were just trying to get rid of me, and they said yes.”

Ms. Clarke, who now lives in Glasgow, lagged behind the council for about seven years, determined the laxes to prevent the concrete from being filled with concrete.

“Fortunately people saw my vision and saw the ability,” he said.

“It was a quite a venture. I was working as a laborer every day, working as a laborer, taking the concrete to the pavement.

“People were really curious because they were closed for so many years.”

Despite the first public toilet opening in the UK in the 1800s, in two centuries, access to facilities has declined, and Keep people away from going Some cities in this process.

Cash-stapled councils are selling or transferring their management to try and save money, with some measures to ensure future owners still to provide public access to facilities.

Like Ms. Clarke, Janet Martin renewed a toilet block, which was derogatory for many years and no longer in public use.

He said, “It was going to be bulldo and had no recognition as an architecturally important building. I believe we need public toilets,” he said.

The 70 -year -old former nurse opened the place five years ago, 35 -seat venue, Felice Maud performance place in honor of his late aunt.

Ms. Martin, who is the owner of Barnabas Arts House in Newuport, Wales, said: “She did not want a plot, but I felt that she could not go out and nothing left, so I decided to name her.

“Now her name is on the lips of many people. I don’t know what she thinks about.”

He bought the building for £ 15,000 and spent £ 55,000, which was renovating it after it was ready to “strangely beautiful”.

“It’s quite high because Edwardians were toilets, and I always thought, what a cute building is,” he said.

“It doesn’t seem that you are in a toilet. It seems that you are in the theater.”

The listed status of the building meant that white tiling was to be placed, which he had said that he would have done anyway.

Public toilet conversion, while rapidly fashionable and a unique draw for bar, restaurant and performance sites, is not a new phenomenon.

One of the first places to join the trend was the sandwich bar that appeared in Central London a decade ago,

Music site, Theater, Wine bar And Offices Soon chased.

Amjid is the owner of Latte Kaif on Abedale Road in Hafiz Sheffield, which has worked as a news and sweet shop as it was first built as a toilet.

He said: “When it was a shop, I came here and thought,” I could do something with it. I could do something here. “

He said that the history of the building is a “positive thing”, and even as a small place, the ability to provide jobs and become something attractive.

As a £ 70,000 “townhouse” for sale on Archer Road, less than one mile than Latte Kaif, its future is unwritten.

Perfect on BBC 2, your home star Ms. Clarke said: “Renewing needs to be done carefully.

“The last thing you want is a developer who is ‘turning it into a townhouse’ and then it is being done badly, but they can actually work well or as a cafe, bar and hairdresser.

“Any uplift is good regeneration.”