The Privy, Verdmont

Verdmont was built by 1710, long before indoor plumbing existed. Without toilets, homeowners would build a privy outside the house for the use of family and guests. At Verdmont, a well-preserved three-seater privy is tucked away to the northeast of the property. It has a raised wooden board with three holes for seats, conveniently suspended over a cave system. Believe it or not, this was a real luxury in an age where raw sewage flowed in the streets. Wealthier people used wool or hemp in place of toilet paper; poorer people made do with leaves. Although shocking today, communal toilets were considered perfectly normal in the eighteenth century!

The privy derives its name from the Latin word privatus, meaning ‘withdrawn from public life’.