I've been reading about Kitty Wilkinson, after whom the amazing Kitty's Laundrette in Liverpool is named, who really embodied this spirit of care. During the cholera epidemic of 1832 Kitty had the only boiler in the neighbourhood, and so she invited her neighbours to use it to wash their clothes and linens, saving many lives. This was the first public washhouse in Liverpool, and ten years later the 'Saint of the Slums' was put in charge of the first combined washhouse and public baths in the UK. A marble statue of Kitty Wilkinson now sits in St George's Hall in Liverpool.
While we were in the North East last week I was using the self service laundrette on the caravan park and it struck me how different this place felt from the other laundrettes I have visited for this project. This was a purely functional space, no smiles, no conversation, no need to spend a minute longer here than necessary. Admittedly the Covid restrictions didn't help, and by its very nature its hard to build a sense of community on a site where most people are temporary visitors, but the contrast was stark.
At the end of the day my washing was clean, but I missed a Kitty Wilkinson welcome!
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