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Welcome to Anyone Remember the Washhouse? at the Launderette Gallery

From 11th June to 28th June

Open 1p.m to 5pm:  Tuesdays & Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays

At the Launderette Gallery, Stokes Croft, 145 Cheltenham Rd, Bristol, BS6 5RR (opposite the little Tesco)

Take part in our family friendly activities:

Talks, outreach sessions with Malcolm X Elders, storytelling for the young, music making from washhouse objects etc, local history, soap making, recipes for stain removal, and a performance of your stories by Breathing Fire Playback Theatre.

Drop by, see what we are up to:

  • Browse our installation of Wash Day exhibits, artefacts and creative responses.
  • Let yourselves be taken down memory lane.
  • Have your own stories captured.
  • Respond creatively to the exhibits in the space

Engage creatively with the Launderette gallery space in activities for all ages:

Drop In

From 11th June to 28th June: Tues, Weds, Sat, Sun 1.00 to 5.00pm

Add your own memories of washing and bathing throughout the decades, on post it notes or have your story recorded.

Our beautifully illustrated book ANYONE REMEMBER THE WASHHOUSE is available for sale in the shop at £15 and will be launched at our opening on 11 June 2024  

Open Shop & Book Launch

TUESDAY 11th JUNE 4.00pm to 5.00pm

Wednesday Afterschool Young People Drop-in

12th  19th 26th JUNE     3.30pm to 5.00pm 

Afterschool support sessions for young people aged 11 plus interested in the history of washing and bathing for working class communities and who might work independently from school with adults at home, older family members or older neighbours they know, to audio interview & or respond creatively to the work exhibited. Just drop by.

Saturday Children’s Story Telling Session

15th   22nd   JUNE    1.15 pm to 1.55 

Children’s story telling session & drawing for 4 to 7 year olds (carers stay)

Saturday Family Fun Music Making Session with Alphonse

22nd  JUNE  2.00 to 3.30pm

 Have fun in making music, bring in bucket, stick/ any old Wash Day items. This activity is for all the family. 

Sunday  Talks

Sun 16th June 3.00 to 4.00pm interactive session:     Soap, Soap powders & Soap making

 Sun  23rd June   1.15 pm interactive session  Bristol Washhouses, Bathhouses Laundries & Launderettes  

Sunday Performance by Breathing Fire Playback Theatre.

Sun  23rd June  2.00 to 3.30 pm  Share your stories, have them played back.

Wrap Up Party

4.00 pm to 6.00 pm  Fri 28 June  come, celebrate and share

How to find The Launderette Gallery:

The Launderette Gallery, Stokes Croft, 145 Cheltenham Rd, Bristol, BS6 5RR (opposite the little Tesco)

Public transport :

Buses along the Gloucester Road to city centre: 17, 70, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, A71, B1

Trains: GWR suburban train to Montpelier Station, from Temple Meads, Stapleton Rd, Lawrence Hill, Clifton Down, Sea Mills and Avonmouth

Parking: There is Pay and Display parking around the area, in Kingsdown, King Square and Ashley Rd.

The gallery has 2 off-street parking spaces which could be used if you have mobility issues, Please contact info@anyonerememberthewashhouse.org in advance if you need to arrange to park there.

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Anyone Remember the Washhouse Showcase Event at the M Shed

The day started with a creative writing workshop, led by Doreen Baidoo, where participants worked on poetry and writing inspired by their own memories of public washing and laundry at the washhouse or at home. After a break for refreshments, the participants read out their writing.

Mary Phipps read out her short story “The Sound of the Wash” and demonstrated how she used to create the squinch sound with a tin tub.

This was followed by screenings of some of the sand animation and shadow puppetry films created for the project by pedda Borowski and Mike Stuart.

The next workshop led by Doreen, had everyone learning a clapping chant, based around the phrase “do our washing, with my friends”.

Then Cleo Lake ran a dance workshop, where the participants evolved a dance based on the movements used to do the washing, such as using a posser, turning a mangle, using a washboard and pegging out the clothes. At the end the whole group performed the dance.

It was a joyful and happy event, as the washhouse wimmin were very pleased to see eachother: They had become good friends during the series of workshops that led to this showcase event. There was much laughter and learning, and visitors were very happy to share their own stories of the washhouse.

With thanks to:
The M Shed front of house staff & porters, Lee Hutchinson and Karen MacDonald.
Nick Gray and Helen Manchester of the University of Bristol & Connecting through Culture As we Age.
The workshop facilitators Doreen Baidoo, Cleo Lake.
The Wash house wimmin, Mary, Belinda, Pam, Gill G, Pauline, Silu & Doreen and all those who attended, volunteered and took part in the launch, contributing with stories and memories.

Filming and video editing by Mike Stuart

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News & Events

Performing for the Bristol 1904 Art Society

The Wash House Wimmin’ and Contributors to the ‘Anyone Remember the Wash House’ research project held a series of workshops and meetings at the Bristol 1904 Art Society, based at the Red Lodge Museum.

Many thanks to the 1904 for accommodating us. As a thank you, we performed for the society on the evening of Wednesday 1st November 2023.  Our group enjoyed an evening of piano recitals, singing, art and poetry.

Somewhat nervously we approached the stage. Ros Martin introduced our pieces which consisted of reading our wash house poems and stories as well as singing ‘washing’ folk and Calypso songs.

Washing artefacts used years ago, such as soap products and blue bags were passed around the audience to elicit conversations and memories of the times before bathrooms and washing machines.
At the end, it was good to hear the memories from members of the Bristol 1904 Art Society.

Mary Phipps

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Prototype Showcase at the Watershed

What a fantastic day we had at the Prototype Showcase event at the Watershed on Tuesday! The Washhouse Wimmin wore red hats so they could be identified by the visitors, (also as an informal tribute to the Red Hat Society). We received lovely positive feedback for our project prototype, had endless conversations and discussions, laughed a lot and enjoyed the day immensely.

The day started in Cinema One, with a series of films showcasing some of the prototype projects, followed by interviews with some of the participants and organisers on the cinema stage, then the different projects showcased their work throughout the Watershed.

Anyone Remember the Washhouse showed a selection films by pedda and Mike. The Wimmin joined in singing Dashing Away With The Smoothing Iron, and Mary read out her poem The Sound of the Wash to loud applause. We displayed a selection of memory items, printed cards and the newly printed book on tables and a display stand, which were a great way to start conversations with visitors. Pauline recorded half a dozen washhouse memories from the visitors, which we are very excited to share on this website.

We had been planning this day for months and we ended the long day tired and happy… looking forward to a well-earned rest! Next week we shall start planning and organising the Anyone Remember the Washhouse Book and Website launch event at the M Shed… it’s our big launch so do come along!

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Website and Book Launch Event at the M Shed on 15th November

Interactive Exhibits, Films, Poetry, Movement and Dance Workshops for Elders.
Friends and family members are welcome too!

Wednesday 15th November 2023
11:00am – 2:00pm (Last entry 11:00am)
M Shed
Princes Wharf
Wapping Rd
Bristol
BS1 4RN
Come, interact, hear and see what we Washhouse Wimmin have been up to.

We invite elders (and their family & friends) to join us.

You’ll be able to:

  • Handle washhouse objects in the exhibition
  • Listen to audio and watch films
  • Take part in a poetry writing workshop
  • Take part in a movement/dance workshop
  • Share your own stories
  • Or just sit back and watch it all

Our beautifully illustrated book Anyone Remember The Washhouse is a limited edition print run of 100 and will be available for sale  along with greeting cards

We honour as we remember, our working-class forebears’ lives.
Their creativity, resilience, and resourcefulness through hardships.
And we pass skills down to future generations.

See you there!

This is a UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, funded by the University of Bristol ‘Connecting through Culture As We Age’ project prototype and brought to you by Washhouse Wimmin & Anyone Remember the Washhouse Creatives.

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News & Events

Connecting Through Culture As We Age Showcase Event at the Watershed – Tuesday 17th October

Join researchers, co-researchers & partners to explore the lives of older adults through the lenses of queerness, disability, class and race

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connecting-through-culture-as-we-age-tickets-696648653877

Location: Watershed  1 Canon’s Road Bristol BS1 5TX

How do we increase participation in social, digital and cultural life in our later years? Connecting Through Culture As We Age (CTC) is partway through a three-year project exploring how participation in all forms of arts and culture – especially in digital form – can influence our wellbeing and feelings of social connection as we age.

The project started life in 2021, funded by UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, and has at its heart, a digital co-design process that centres the voices, lived experiences and expertise of minoritised older adults who identify as disabled, and/or are socioeconomically and racially minoritized. Now is your chance to join a collection of researchers, older adults involved as co-designers, community partners and the project’s six prototype teams for an interactive event where we will share some of the learning, creative outputs and impacts from the project.

In the morning, connect with our research team, co-researchers and project partners through a series of conversations exploring the relationships between older adults and technology, and imagining ways forward for co-design. Then in the afternoon, take the chance to play with the project’s six prototypes through a series of drop-in workshops. Be transported to another place through a multisensory dining experience with Tabletop Travels. Browse stories that re-enforce and invigorate the message of vibrancy and value that older women hold in society with Retirement Reloaded: Wonderful Women of Words. Uncover elder stories and memories from the wash house and bath house through zines and soundscape with Anyone Remember the Washhouse?. Use off-the-shelf technology to create a wearable, interactive patch with Expressive Pockets. Discover more about Recycle City, a speculative city founded on the values of creativity, community, opportunity and welfare. Or immerse yourself in Murmurations, an installation and collection of experiences and languages that share the hidden words of older people, queer people and the crip community.

Please note some elements will have limited capacity for which there will be sign up sheets on the day.