 I’m delighted to end 2025 by sharing some genuinely heartening news: the first phase of the refurbishment of the Ladies’ Mile loos is now complete. Thanks to the organisation by Ben Skuse and the excellent work of Consort Services, essential repairs have been carried out to the roof (as far as could safely and sensibly be done), the exterior has been freshly repainted, new fencing installed, and the lighting greatly improved. This milestone has only been reached because of the generosity, encouragement and practical support of so many people. What began as a shared hope has become visible progress, and that is something worth celebrating. As we look ahead to the New Year, continued support through book sales and speaker engagements will help sustain the momentum and enable the next phase of work to begin. With my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported, donated, attended talks, bought books, and cheered this project on throughout the year, I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
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A heartfelt thank you to the Nailsea & District Local History Society for such a warm and enthusiastic welcome at my recent talk, The Story of Ladies’ Mile.
Around fifty members and guests filled the hall for what proved to be a lively and rewarding evening. I was delighted by the thoughtful questions, the interest in Victoria’s story, and the many conversations that followed — not to mention the cheerful queue of book-buyers afterwards! It’s always encouraging to see how deeply this remarkable local story continues to resonate. My thanks again to everyone in Nailsea who came along and helped make the evening such a success. If your group would like to host The Story of Ladies’ Mile — an illustrated talk uncovering one of Bristol’s most fascinating forgotten histories — please do get in touch. I’d love to share Victoria’s story with more local audiences. A huge thank you to the Bristol Civic Society for such an enthusiastic response to my illustrated talk on Ladies’ Mile!
It was standing room only — a packed audience who listened intently, asked thoughtful and perceptive questions, and then proceeded to buy almost every copy of the book I’d brought with me. To crown it all, they made an extremely generous donation towards the restoration of Victoria Hughes’ remarkable ladies’ loo on Stoke Road. It’s heartening to see so much local passion for preserving Bristol’s social history — and for honouring the memory of Victoria, whose compassion and quiet courage still speak to us today. My sincere thanks to everyone who came, listened, and gave so generously. You made it a truly memorable evening! Bristol’s Parks Department has confirmed that refurbishment work on the Ladies’ Mile loos will begin on 3rd November — funded entirely by the £7,500 raised through book sales, illustrated talks, and generous donations from those who share a fondness for this charming little building and its story.
The planned works include:
Individually, these tasks may sound modest, but together they’ll transform the exterior and give the building a fresh lease of life. For years, the Ladies’ Mile loos have stood as a quiet but important piece of local heritage — a reminder of a time when even the simplest public facilities were designed with care and dignity. When I began researching the story of the compassionate lavatory attendant who once worked here, I could never have imagined it would spark such heartfelt local support. Yet here we are: a community united by kindness, history, and a shared desire to look after what others might overlook. This refurbishment is just the beginning — a visible sign of what your generosity has achieved. I’ll keep you updated as the work progresses, but for now, let’s celebrate this milestone. From one little green loo, great things continue to grow. 🌿 “She believed that even the humblest place could be made welcoming, and that a kind word offered in passing could lift a weary heart. How right she was — and how lovely that her little haven is being cared for once again.” 💚 What a wonderfully warm welcome I received from the Rising Stars Ladies’ Group yesterday when I arrived to give my illustrated talk on Ladies’ Mile!
They told me afterwards how much they’d enjoyed the story — and I must say, I enjoyed sharing it with them every bit as much. To my delight, they not only bought a staggering number of books, but also made a generous donation — all in recognition of Victoria Hughes, the compassionate lavatory attendant whose remarkable life inspired the book. Every penny will go towards helping to refurbish her very special ladies’ loo on Stoke Road — a fitting tribute to a woman whose kindness and dignity touched so many. If your group would like to hear Victoria’s extraordinary story, I’d be delighted to bring my illustrated talk to you. You can find out more by contacting me at [email protected] or get in touch via the BristolRead Books page. What can a cloakroom attendant on Bristol’s Durdham Downs teach us about the city’s social history? Quite a lot, it turns out.
I’m now giving illustrated talks based on the extraordinary memoir Ladies’ Mile by Victoria Hughes — a woman whose quiet job gave her a front-row seat to some of Bristol’s most intimate and overlooked stories. For 33 years, Victoria served as the cloakroom attendant at the ladies’ public toilets near the Water Tower on the Downs. But this wasn’t just a job. It became a place of refuge, conversation, and confession for hundreds of women — sex workers, mothers, daughters, strangers — all finding a moment of pause and privacy in a changing city. Victoria recorded much of what she saw and heard in her journals. The result is Ladies’ Mile, a book full of quiet compassion and sharp insight into the lives of working-class women from the 1930s to the 1960s. In my one-hour illustrated talk, I’ll explore:
Please contact me if you'd like to know more. Interesting and informative, this history trail takes around 90 minutes. You'll see ancient camps, stunning Georgian houses and you may even find a diamond! Be sure not to miss the Observatory to visit the Giant's Cave for an unique view of the valley below and to marvel at the Camera Obscura (still working and best seen on a sunny day). clifton_down_history_trail.pdf  Follow this 90-minute trail for a fascinating insight into the history and nature of Bristol's Durdham Down, Meet up at the Downs Café and end there with coffee and cake! https://www.avongorge.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Durdham-Down-history-trail-Trail-No.-1.pdf  
 On a misty morning on Durdham Down Kerris Harrop presents a cheque for £7500 to the Lord Mayor of Bristol who accepts it on behalf of the Downs Committee. This amazing sum was raised from donations to a successful Just Giving campaign and the sale of over 700 copies of Ladies' Mile.
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