Early Toilet Paper

Thursday March 26, 2020 by Cass Morgan

Old newspapers and magazines were usually retired to the toilet/privy/loo/potty/commode or other convenience for use as paper for personal comfort.

Mr Bradshaw introduced the most successful railway timetable book in the 1840s. It was monthly and retired copies were often tied to a loop of string and hung on a nail, as they soon became a popular ‘toilet paper’.

By 1901, the pages numbered 964, each month. They became very popular on stations and paper companies were soon binding printless volumes, but at great expense. It eventually became cheaper to produce rolls of paper.

Middleton Press continued to produce Bradshaw-style railway timetables until December 2019. These complemented their series of railway albums that had became increasingly more popular. Each one includes 120 black and white images, taking the reader on a unique, leisurely armchair journey, which stops at each station, in geographical order. All cover local lines.

Our surplus outdated Bradshaw-style Rail Times could be used as a humorous addition to your cloakroom. A complimentary copy can be included with orders for five or more albums, as long as stocks last. Call 01730 813169 to order.

The founder and principal author, Vic Mitchell, considers that two of the best books he has ever personally bought are Privies Galore and Flushed With Pride: The Story of Thomas Crapper.