Ladies' Mile
A pretty Victorian building on the edge of Durdham Downs in Bristol hides a multitude of secrets.
Shameful and sad, these secrets were faithfully recorded in diaries and notebooks by a very respectable lady, Victoria Hughes, in her book Ladies’ Mile.
A toilet attendant for over 30 years until the 1960s, Mrs Hughes offered a safe and comforting place where various characters, mainly working girls, felt able to trust this sympathetic lady to whom they described their lives and backgrounds - truly ‘remarkable and shocking’ tales.
She writes, “It was to be the start of an astonishing chapter of my life which embarrassed and enriched me at the same time. I found myself an eavesdropper and an observer of a way of life I hadn’t realised existed. This was the unmentioned twilight world of Bristol between the wars. Even at this distance I find some of the experiences I lived through hard to believe. My flesh still creeps”
The toilet still exists and is currently the only public convenience on Bristol’s Durdham Downs. It’s a pretty Victorian brick-built building notable, too, for its Blue Plaque, one of the highest civic honours, awarded to Mrs Hughes who published Ladies’ Mile in 1977 at the age of almost 80.
Buy it now for yourself or as a gift for a fascinating glimpse into Bristol's shocking social history.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will go towards the refurbishment of Ladies' Mile toilets.
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What Our READERS Are Saying
"We knew there were secrets surrounding Ladies’ Mile although no-one ever spoke of them. Once Victoria Hughes’ book came out, we found out what those secrets were. This is an immensely readable book of shameless stories in different times."
"A funny and at the same time a very sad book. I absolutely loved every page."