Chloé Aslett
BBC News, Yorkshire
James support
Ms. Clark lived in the converted toilets for a while, but had tenants since she moved to Scotland.
Of all bizarre items for sale on Facebook Marketplace, a “townhouse” with a price of £ 70,000 is a particularly unusual list – especially because property is an old public toilet.
Creativity with a vision could see a brilliant future for the abandoned Loo Sheffield, similar to others that have become living spaces, galleries and breweries.
Laura Jane Clark, an architect from London, transformed the underground toilets of abandonment initially “disgusted” to Crystal Palace in London.
“My first was however an art gallery or a bar, but I really really really realized that we could live here,” she said.
Simon Thake / BBC
The “Town House” for sale at £ 70,000 on Facebook Marketplace
“Having convinced the advice to sell them for a business, I had to return and ask to live there – I think they were just trying to get rid of me, and they said yes.”
Ms. Clark, who now lives in Glasgow, has gone through almost seven years of back and forth with the Council, determined to prevent the LOOS from being filled with concrete.
“Fortunately, people saw my vision and saw the potential,” she said.
“It was a whole commitment. I was there with twilight working every day as a worker, taking concrete jumps to the sidewalk.
“People were really curious because they have been closed for so many years.”
Fiona Murray
Ms. Clark had a vision for abandoned LOOS as a living space.
Despite the opening of public toilets in the 1800s in the United Kingdom, two centuries, access to the facilities has decreased and passed people from the visit of certain cities to the process.
The short money councils have sold or transferred their management to try to save money, certain measures put in place to ensure that future owners always provide public access to the facilities.
Janet Martin, like Ms. Clark, renovated a block of toilets that had been abandoned for many years and was no longer in public.
“He was about to be bulldozer and there was no recognition as an architectural building. I think we need public toilets,” she said.
The former 70 -year -old nurse opened the Phyllis Maud Performance Space, a place with 35 places, five years ago in honor of her end aunt.
Phyllis Maud’s performance space can accommodate 35 people.
Ms. Martin, who also owns Barnabas Arts House in Newport, in Wales, said: “She did not want a conspiracy, but I thought she could not go out and that nothing left, so I decided to name it after her.
“Now her name is on the lips of many people everywhere. I don’t know what she would think about it.”
She bought the building for £ 15,000 and spent £ 55,000 to renovate it after being attracted by the way it was “terribly pretty”.
“It is completely designed as the Edwardian toilets, and I have always thought, what a cute building,” she said.
“You don’t feel like you are in the toilet. I feel like I am in the theater.”
Ms. Martin described the building as “terribly pretty”.
The building status of the building meant that the white tiles should be preserved, which she said that she would have done.
Public toilet conversions, although more and more fashionable and a unique draw in bars, restaurants and performance places, are not a new phenomenon.
One of the first sites to join the trend was a sandwich bar that appeared in the center of London over ten years ago.
Music places, theaters, wine bars and offices quickly followed.
Amjid Hafiz has Latte Caffe on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield, who served as newspaper merchants and Sweet Shop since his first toilet show.
He said, “When it was a store, I came here and thought:” I could do something with that. I could do something here. “”
Simon Thake / BBC
Amjid Hafiz bought the old public toilets about 10 months ago.
He said that the history of the building is a “positive thing”, and even as a small space, has the potential to provide jobs and become something lucrative.
As for the “townhouse” of £ 70,000 for sale on Archer Road, unless a mile de Latte Caffe, its future is not written.
Ms. Clark, star of your house, perfect on BBC2, said: “The renovations must be carefully made.
“The last thing you want is a developer who will make it a townhouse”, then it is poorly finished, but they can work very well or as cafes, bars and hairdressers too.
“All regeneration is good regeneration.”
