The public toilets that have become a surprising London tourist attraction

London has its fair share of attractions. From the London Eye to the Houses of Parliament, tourists have no problem filling their day with historical pieces of architecture.

One place not often visited on historical merit are public toilets.

Avoided like the plague for being smelly and unhygienic, WCs have long since had a bad reputation and are only used when full bladder owners really have no other choice.

Despite this, a public toilet in North London has a huge following and was even listed as a Grade II building in 1993.

READ MORE: Man who threw 6-year-old off Tate Modern accused of rape in prison showers

The toilets near Hampstead Heath in South End Green, also have another claim to fame and George Michael was arrested there on drug charges in 2008.

When the late star was caught there, a spokesman for the Metropolitan police said: “I can confirm that a 45-year-old man was arrested on September 19 on suspicion of possession of drugs in the Hampstead Heath area.

“He was taken to a north London police station where he received a caution for possession of class A and class C drugs.”

It isn’t just George Michael who made the toilets famous amongst tourists and London’s LGBTQ+ community.

South End Green is the only public toilet still in use known to have been visited by iconic 1960s playwright Joe Orton.

Joe was a famous queer and was iconic as being sent to jail for damaging books and later said he received such a harsh sentence because of his sexual identity.

The public loos that Joe Orton visited starred in Prick Up Your Ears, the 1987 film about the scribe, who was murdered by jealous lover Kenneth Halliwell in 1967.

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George Bernard Shaw was another famous gender equality poster boy who was responsible for the ladies’ toilets in the same area.

Working on St Pancras council, he proposed building something for women, and against deep opposition, they were built – and still stand today.

It may not be on everyone’s tourist list but if you find yourself needing to use a public toilet in the capital, why not choose one with a bit of history to it?

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