Remembering Sheffield's wash houses and the kind-hearted women who made me feel welcome there

Washing clothes has always been a labour intensive process, and although technology has come on leaps and bounds since the days of washing our clothes in the river it still remains a labour intensive and laborious task.

After all, clothes don’t iron, fold or hang themselves!

The mechanisation of the wash process has been a long and crude affai, requiring lots of attention and energy.

A Yorkshire maiden was an early wash machine, but this was still a labour intensive device.

Attached to it some Maidens, would have a roller device which helped with the drying process.

But in the late ‘60s when I was a child, washing machines were extremely rare.

At that time we lived in homes with no indoor toilet, and we also did not have a telephone or central heating.

We had a black and white TV and did not have a car to call our own – but this was not a sign of deprivation, but the norm.

I remember as a young child going with my mother to the wash house on Earsham street – close to Sutherland Road baths – on at least one occasion.

Luckily, it was just a short walk from our home on Petre Street.

My memories aren't as vivid as I would like, but the first thing that springs to mind when I think of the wash house is the warmth.

Not just the warmth from the machines, but also from the women using the facility.

I have fond memories of the ladies in there, and the fuss they made of me; as well as their willingness to help my mother who must have been unfamiliar with the place.

Not the racist unfriendly society we are led to believe we live(d) in.

The Building was warm smelt so fresh with a tinge of chlorine from Sutherland road baths next door, which I found very comforting.

The machine in there was all on an industrial scale, which seemed enormous to an under five year old.

I found the machines fascinating.

There was one such machine, that was large and when you placed your item(s) in the bottom, they would disappear then come back down a large silver slide, dry and with fewer creases.

Another wash house memory I have is seeing large suspension prams parked outside the wash house, or people pushing large prams to and from the wash house.

Just like many others in the 1970s, we soon acquired the latest thing in home laundry – a twin tub washer.

This was still hard work in comparison to washing machines of today.

Wash houses and launderettes ran alongside each over the years, however wash houses eventually went into decline, in a similar way to the internet cafe.

When technology moved inside the home as opposed to outside it.

Technology has in most cases changed our habits and opportunities for many.

As a young married couple in the early ‘80s our first washing machine was a twin tub affair, so they were still in use then, but are a rarity now.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.