Rothesay Victorian Loos

The Victorian age left us with a number of stunning pieces of art and architecture, and with the Rothesay Victorian Loos, we now also have a number of their toilets.

Built in 1899, these public conveniences by the pier in Rothesay on the Scottish island of Bute are perhaps the most complete Victorian toilets to remain in Britain. The men’s bathroom was constructed while the island was a booming resort, at a time in which even the most basic of functions demanded decorative opulence. The toilets are clad in patterned ceramic tiles and mosaics bearing the crest of the Royal Burgh of Rothesay. In addition twenty urinals in white porcelain and green marble are fed by three glass-walled cisterns mounted near the ceiling. Art and culture are just fine, but the Rothesay lavatories truly show the extent of Victorian luxury.