The Arc, Bury St Edmunds

Brand new shopping centre with unsurprisingly brand new toilets. Clean, well lighted, warm and everything worked! I hope they keep this up!

Black Boy, Bury St Edmunds

Average pub toilets. A bit smelly but had soap, hot water and a working hand dryer.

The Regal, Cambridge

Very large and clean toilets, however was instructed by poster on the wall to flush urinal when finished.

The rating is hardly surprising as with all (well most) chain pubs there is a rigid policy on toilet cleaning. In this case they were inspected hourly!

The Sir Charles Napier, Hanover

I liked these toilets as I felt a bit like I was in a cottage (the door handles were very low). There are quite low ceilings so maybe not the best location for tall people. Well-stocked though, and the morris dancers are friendly!

Jury's Inn, Brighton

This is another of my favourites. It doesn't feel like toilets in a hotel. Nothing fancy. But always very clean. Whenever I've been there's no one in there, lots of cubicles to choose from.  Good privacy. There is a full length mirror and music playing. To avoid walking through the reception, I usually use the side door when leaving. I am considering nominating this toilet for 2011 Loo of the Year Awards.

Baker Street Underground Station

The most important thing about these toilets is that they appear to be the last of the few station toilets for which you don't have to part with 30 pence to spend a penny...

They've always been clean when I've been in them - wouldn't say the lighting is particularly inviting though, and they have those really irritating taps which you have to press with one hand whilst washing the other. In my experience the hand driers always work and there's almost always paper in all of the toilets.

One of the best things about these toilets is the amount of conversation you get to overhear from all sorts of people. (Wouldn't be surprised if Sherlock Holmes solved some of his cases with information heard here. Although that would mean he was hiding out in the ladies.) Last time there was a lady crying in one of the cubicles and then having a massive row with someone on her mobile in a foreign language. (Not a nice thing to hear but interesting all the same...) It's also a favourite spot for people touching up their makeup and sorting their hair before continuing on their journey as it has large mirrors.

Some people may find it a little dingy, but I like them. They're free!!

You're Welcome Scheme (Brighton & Hove)

The You're Welcome Community Toilet Scheme advertises businesses who let the general public use their toilet facilities. More info here.

Open Market, London Road, Brighton

(image from Elizabeth on Flickr)

I have been here twice recently, both times unpleasant. The cubicles are very cramped, you can barely close the door without touching the toilet bowl with your leg. It is also absolutely freezing and the lighting is very dingy.

On the first visit, there was old wet tissue which looked like it had been pushed with a mop into the corner, and an old plaster on the sanitary bin. The second visit, there appeared to be crusted old sick or something similar underneath the toilet seat. Horrid. The toilet attendant (who is there full-time, and in my opinion isn't doing his job very well) was standing in the doorway of the ladies toilets smoking a cigarette the whole time I was in there, which made me feel on edge. There is only one sink - the old metal ones where you put your hands into the wall and there are different buttons for soap, water, air. It seemed clean, but both times, the hand dryer wasn't working and there was a full bin of paper towels overflowing onto the floor. No mirrors either, although I wouldn't dare linger in there long enough to use one.

The only redeeming features is that they are free to use, and there was toilet seat sanitiser in all of the cubicles. Other than that, would only use again in an emergency.

Loo of the Year Awards

I am looking forward to the results for Loo of the Year Awards taking place this Friday. A pub in Worthing received a five-star rating so we should definitely check it out. Last year Brighton and Hove City Council did well at the awards so I should check out more of the public toilets.

Yo Sushi, Angel Islington, London

The first impression is that the toilet lacks privacy; there are no male or female bathroom as such, it is simply an area, or a zone assigned for toilets, an open space that is linked to the main dining area. However, it is hidden and recessed at the corner of the room. As you walk into the toilet zone, you will be greeted with a series of private cubicles and graphics which represents the sex imprinted on the each of the cubicle door, which at first glance is quite hard to read.

The cubicle doors themselves are not the typical full height door you assosiate with bathrooms, but rather a 'cow-boy' style changing room doors - although it must be stressed the doors are high enough to prevent over-looking.

The female cubicles are closer to the entrance of the toilet zone, (ladies first?) and the logic for this layout soon become apparent; as you walk past the ladies cubicles, you will find a troff around the corner, directly opposite the male cubicles. This layout ensures no ladies have to walk past men who are in the process of urinating. However this does not stop any curious ladies from having a cheeky peek.

From a design point of view, there could be a possiblity that the designer or the client asked for transparency - a concept that is clear from the onset the moment you stepped into the restaurant: the chef prepares the meal in front of you and the customers sit around the circular conveyor belt - not too dissimilar to that of King Arthur's round table, and if someone is nosy enough, will be able to see which dish is being eaten by any individual. So in that respect, the bathroom is a success, if not slightly controversal.

Overall, the toilet is cleaned frequently, toilet paper aplenty, although the fittings used (such as the sink and the troff) could be less 'off-the-shelve' but designed so they are more kept in tune with the minimalistic approach/ theme.