In the 1970s, architects harnessed people power to change the way we live. The story of Annie’s Loo can teach us about proofing our homes for an uncertain future.

Photo of a very old toilet, earlier. Supplied by Govanhill Housing Association, which was founded in 1974. Much of the Association's early work involved bringing toilets indoors from half landings in tenement closes.

Words by Clare Harris | Photos supplied by Govanhill Housing Association

Raymond Young was a student architect back in the 1960s, as scores of Glaswegians were being moved from the slums of the city centre to sparkling new estates with the promise of a cleaner, healthier future.

He and his colleagues played a crucial part in preventing retrofitting ageing buildings for the future. The story of Annie’s Loo is well-known in housing circles; it’s a tale of a basic need, met with innovation and rolled out thanks to a combination of community demand and authority buy-in.

In 1960s and 70s Glasgow, many tenement residents still had to go to the toilet in the shared ‘cludgie’, situated in the stairway. But thanks to one resident – Annie Gibbons – and the initiative of Young and his colleagues, the case was made for a small-scale but life-changing intervention that made scores of homes fit for the future.

“The challenge we had in the 60s was we were building vast housing estates like a sausage machine,” says Young. “For the people this was the dream, the genuine dream, of going to a new world – and then it soured pretty quickly. People wanted to go back. We said what else can we do? I was never one for preserving tenements for the sake of it, but I was all about making sure that a child wouldn’t have to wait 12 years to get an inside toilet.

“The council wanted to big things to improve the housing stock in Glasgow and we said no, let’s try small scale - and it worked.”

Raymond Young was one of the founder members of ASSIST, a community architecture practice that pioneered both tenement rehabilitation and community-based housing associations. ASSIST began life as a University of Strathclyde Research Project and still operates today, leading on sustainable architecture projects across the country. Back in the early 70s, Young wanted to find a way to improve housing that was led by people’s needs – rather than grand visions of the future.

“As a student I’d been brought up to believe that there were three great pieces of modern architecture that we had to aspire to – one was the Basil Spence flats in the Gorbals, one was Cardross Seminary and the third was Cumbernauld town centre. They were architectural masterpieces but they may not have been good to live with, and that got me. I wanted to know where the people were involved.”

At ASSIST, plans were developed to fit toilets within individual tenement flats. One resident, Annie Gibbons, heard about the plans and, says Young, came knocking. “Annie turned up on my doorstep and said I’ve heard about your toilets - I want one. Simple as that.” Gibbons’ home became the pilot for the toilet scheme.

“Annie lived through the work and turned out to be the best clerk of work we ever had. She never let the contractor away with anything.”

It took the team a few months to get the works up and running, and in the meantime they secured support from the local authority. The result was a hit, remembers Young. “Annie’s house was on the telly, Pat Lally the future lord provost came down and was absolutely mobbed by residents who wanted this new wonder toilet.

“Annie’s loo was the first stage. The council said if we got enough applications for an improvement grant then we would be the agent for improvements on a community basis. We did that. We realised there was a model worth developing.” With attention now from the UK Government and what was the Scottish Office, the model of Annie’s Loo was gradually rolled out across the city – primarily, as Young says, thanks to community demand and the roots of today’s housing association movement.

So what does the tale of Annie’s Loo teach us about the challenges we face today? Glasgow’s residents, like so many across the country, may now have their own working toilets. But many are likely to be keeping the heating off this winter amid worries of how the latest rise in energy prices will hit their wallets.

Young believes the key to widespread change lies in people power.

“The lessons that I think we hopefully have learned from things like the Govan and the story of Annie’s Loo is that we need to get people together – and that people need to be part of the solution.

“The story of Annie’s Loo captured people’s imagination because they were part of the solution. They were living in housing without a toilet – they wanted that to change, but what they needed was some help to get there.”