Barbers and Bathrooms 1960s/70s

Barber's tools of the trade
Wikimedia Commons

A strange location

At the top of Trafalgar Street, under the archway, was a flight of steps up to the station. Halfway up was, on the right, a gents’ toilet, on the left – and directly opposite – a barber’s shop. I often used to imagine that it couldn’t have been so great working underground as a barber, opposite a public lavatory.

Who used the barber’s shop?

This, to me, was a puzzle. If you were going to catch a train, you wouldn’t factor in a haircut. If your cut took too long, you would risk missing your train. If you had arrived at the station, I would have thought you might want to get to your final destination, sooner rather than later. Having your hair cut could wait.

Do you remember this shop? Share your memories by posting a comment below

Regular customers?

If you were coming from London, with your family, for a day out in the sun, I wouldn’t think you would be too popular if you told them you were going to have a haircut before you all went to the beach. Perhaps the barber’s had some regular customers who had nothing to do with the station or with trains. Or maybe the place was frequented mostly by station staff, drivers and so on.  I could think of some nicer places to have your hair cut. 

 

 

 

Comments about this page

  • Yes I remember, but I thought is was a ladies hairdressers. It was long ago so I could be mistaken!

    By Peter Groves (31/01/2018)
  • I remember too. The smell of the toilets were not very appealing. The ladies hairdresser was on the Trafalgar Road itself just at the bottom of the railway entrance. Also a little smelly. Seemed they were always doing perms!

    By Sandra Bohtlingk (01/02/2018)
  • I seem to remember both, with the Gents being earlier. The revolving barber’s sign was there at one time, I think.

    By Alan Hobden (01/02/2018)
  • I think there was both, but I can remember the smell of perming solutions from the ladies and I also think I remember a barbers red and white pole there!

    By Marilyn Jones (02/02/2018)
  • Do you remember at the top of Trafalgar street just under the archway the newspaper seller during the late 50s and early 60s? He used to sell newspapers to all the commuters taking the early morning trains to Victoria as I did on several occasions the up the tiled stairway to the ticket office to purchase the day return ticket. I think it was about 4 and six pence old money. How times have changed!

    By Joe Mann (03/02/2018)
  • It most certainly existed as a Gent’s barber and I was a regular customer! I was still using it in 1986 but I guess the incumbent retired around then. No special styles offered – you paid for a haircut and that is all you got unless, of course, you needed something for the weekend. Honestly my only complaint about the place was that the razors could have used a sharpening. Happy days,

    By Steve Walker (10/11/2020)

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