Life Through Laundry in Barrow-in-Furness - Blog 1
It feels hard to write this blog post, somehow. I thought the steam would be coming off my keyboard when I sat down to write after getting home from the site visit to Barrow-in-Furness with Esther and Emily on the 17th and 18th March. It was such an inspiring, and often quite emotional, visit. But the truth is, I think my mind is still whizzing and whirring from all the brilliant people we met and with all the potent potential ideas that are popcorning in my mind.
So, it may be an idea to make a list. When in doubt, make a list. A list of what we got up to. So, here goes…
Wednesday 16th March – drive from Whitley Bay to my folks in Dalton-in-Furness.
I seemed to pick the worst time to set off in the car as the heavens opened just as I turned the ignition key. Not usually the best of omens and not how the day had started in the North East. But it stayed that way all the way down the A1 and onto the A66 until… and this was pretty wonderful/eerie (take your pick!)… I passed the Cumbria sign and the bright beams shone through a slit in the grey clouds like a sun sandwich.
I have a little ritual that I have been doing every time I journey home, since I moved to the North East in 1999, of whooping and fist-pumping the air as I pass the Cumbria sign. Any passengers in the car are also required to do this. And to be greeted with sunshine (which isn’t always the case), felt like the best of omens.
Then to be greeted by my folks and the bundle of fun that is our family dog, Jak, was an absolute treat!
To be home! And to be working at home! It really struck me that this was a different feeling to my usual visits, as my identity as an artist, doesn’t usually cross the threshold of the house I grew up in.
My Dad might disagree as he often calls me a Drama Queen!
Thursday 17th March - Site Visit Day 1
The day started with a visit to Barrow Archives, who I had contacted prior to my visit to arrange an
appointment and to request lots of artefacts that had the word “laundry” in them! I arrived to a wonderful welcome and all the documents beautifully laid out. After registering for my card
and getting quite emotional at the thought of how many hours my Grandma had spent in this space, I
got to work!
Well, it didn’t feel like work! What a treasure trove of stories and mysteries! Susan, who works in the
archives, was also a goldmine of information and brought out a book she thought I might be interested
in. And, oh my goodness, I really was! More on that later.
Then to meet Esther and Emily at the train station. It was so lovely to meet these brilliant women in
person, after only online meetings, and I was so proud to show them the wonder of Barrow-in-Furness!
After a quick catch up in the Duke of Ed, we made our way over to meet John at Easyclean on Barrow
Island. There is not enough space to write about the full brilliance of John here, but I am so looking
forward to working my shift with him next weekend!
Then a mini tour of Barrow, popping into Anson St Laundrette, a gorgeous self-service space, then
a spot of tea at Sweet Pepper cafe and nightcap at the Kings Arms, with our heads already fizzing
with ideas.
archives, was also a goldmine of information and brought out a book she thought I might be interested
in. And, oh my goodness, I really was! More on that later.
Then to meet Esther and Emily at the train station. It was so lovely to meet these brilliant women in
person, after only online meetings, and I was so proud to show them the wonder of Barrow-in-Furness!
After a quick catch up in the Duke of Ed, we made our way over to meet John at Easyclean on Barrow
Island. There is not enough space to write about the full brilliance of John here, but I am so looking
forward to working my shift with him next weekend!
Then a mini tour of Barrow, popping into Anson St Laundrette, a gorgeous self-service space, then
a spot of tea at Sweet Pepper cafe and nightcap at the Kings Arms, with our heads already fizzing
with ideas.
Friday 18th March - Site Visit Day 2
An early start popping in to Crellin St Laundrette to meet the lovely Joanne. The space is bright and airy and I’m so looking forward to bringing in a load of laundry next week.
Then to Nan Tait to meet with the brilliant Rebecca and wonderful Hayley at Women’s Community Matters, an amazing space, stunning architecture, the most amazing clothing bank and a washing machine! I’m planning to join the drop in and the Chinwaggers for a chat on the 30th March. I can’t wait!
Then off to have a look at Risedale Rd Laundrette before dropping Esther and Emily off at the station. What a treat! Wood panelling, gorgeous tiled floors (Esther was quite obsessed with these), Speed Queen tumblers and the kind sun beaming through the windows. More to investigate here!
And then a fond farewell to the ever-brilliant Emily and Esther. I loved how much they loved Barrow and they both left with wishes to return one day!
And then to thinking. Lots to process and pour over and this continued for the rest of the day and the drive home on Saturday. And I realised that the time I will spend driving on this project (6 hours there and back) will become a vital part of the process in the actual processing of thoughts and ideas.
An early start popping in to Crellin St Laundrette to meet the lovely Joanne. The space is bright and airy and I’m so looking forward to bringing in a load of laundry next week.
Then to Nan Tait to meet with the brilliant Rebecca and wonderful Hayley at Women’s Community Matters, an amazing space, stunning architecture, the most amazing clothing bank and a washing machine! I’m planning to join the drop in and the Chinwaggers for a chat on the 30th March. I can’t wait!
Then off to have a look at Risedale Rd Laundrette before dropping Esther and Emily off at the station. What a treat! Wood panelling, gorgeous tiled floors (Esther was quite obsessed with these), Speed Queen tumblers and the kind sun beaming through the windows. More to investigate here!
And then a fond farewell to the ever-brilliant Emily and Esther. I loved how much they loved Barrow and they both left with wishes to return one day!
And then to thinking. Lots to process and pour over and this continued for the rest of the day and the drive home on Saturday. And I realised that the time I will spend driving on this project (6 hours there and back) will become a vital part of the process in the actual processing of thoughts and ideas.
Friday 25th March - Residency Day 1
Another early start! Setting off from Whitley Bay at 4am. This hadn’t originally been the plan but as I had wholly underestimated the amount of time it would take to fold up all my booklets (even with my partner lending his origami skills!) and make my washing machine postboxes, the plan had to adapt!
A beautiful journey back home (with the obligatory whooping and fist pumping at the Welcome to Cumbria sign!), as I saw the world waking up mile by mile. I feel so lucky to live in the North and even luckier to have a home in the North West and the North East. Maybe that’s how Hadrian started his wall building plans!
After a quick pit-stop for Mum, Dad and Jak hugs, the first port of call was getting coffee! Planted with a large brew on Dalton Rd I had a lovely catch up with Esther on the phone. I realised I had not given myself much room to reflect on things so far as I have wanted to hit the ground running, so my future plans will include reflection time built in.
Then on to Crellin St, where I met the lovely Joanne again and the wonderful Maxine! It was so great to chat with them both about the laundrette and who taught them how to do things. Added bonus for me was learning how to fold fitted sheets! Genuinely life-changing. The theme of passing down skills was further developed with Ellie, Joanne’s grandaughter, joining us. There is something really interesting in the passing down of life skills from generation to generation.
And the next generation of Laundrette owners came in! Ian and Sarah have recently taken on Crellin St and Risedale Rd, and what treasures they are! Ian LOVES laundrettes and together with Rob, the three have started this new venture. It was wonderful to explore the history of the building with Ian and Sarah and hear their story.
Then onto Risedale Rd, also owned by Sarah and Ian. What a beautiful place this with the sun streaming through the corner windows. This was duvet day for me, so in it went into the huge machines and whilst is whirred, I had lovely chats with the people who came and went. People who come here all the time and people who are here as their own machines are broken. I’ve already heard that lots - brand-new machines on the blink, all told in front of the sturdy machines which must be over 20 years old.
Then back to see Susan and Selina in the archives. I really wanted to look again at Mary A Watson’s Domestic Economics notebook from 1868, a treasure map of the whats, wheres, whys, whens and hows of all you will ever need to know to run a home.
Another early start! Setting off from Whitley Bay at 4am. This hadn’t originally been the plan but as I had wholly underestimated the amount of time it would take to fold up all my booklets (even with my partner lending his origami skills!) and make my washing machine postboxes, the plan had to adapt!
A beautiful journey back home (with the obligatory whooping and fist pumping at the Welcome to Cumbria sign!), as I saw the world waking up mile by mile. I feel so lucky to live in the North and even luckier to have a home in the North West and the North East. Maybe that’s how Hadrian started his wall building plans!
After a quick pit-stop for Mum, Dad and Jak hugs, the first port of call was getting coffee! Planted with a large brew on Dalton Rd I had a lovely catch up with Esther on the phone. I realised I had not given myself much room to reflect on things so far as I have wanted to hit the ground running, so my future plans will include reflection time built in.
Then on to Crellin St, where I met the lovely Joanne again and the wonderful Maxine! It was so great to chat with them both about the laundrette and who taught them how to do things. Added bonus for me was learning how to fold fitted sheets! Genuinely life-changing. The theme of passing down skills was further developed with Ellie, Joanne’s grandaughter, joining us. There is something really interesting in the passing down of life skills from generation to generation.
And the next generation of Laundrette owners came in! Ian and Sarah have recently taken on Crellin St and Risedale Rd, and what treasures they are! Ian LOVES laundrettes and together with Rob, the three have started this new venture. It was wonderful to explore the history of the building with Ian and Sarah and hear their story.
Then onto Risedale Rd, also owned by Sarah and Ian. What a beautiful place this with the sun streaming through the corner windows. This was duvet day for me, so in it went into the huge machines and whilst is whirred, I had lovely chats with the people who came and went. People who come here all the time and people who are here as their own machines are broken. I’ve already heard that lots - brand-new machines on the blink, all told in front of the sturdy machines which must be over 20 years old.
Then back to see Susan and Selina in the archives. I really wanted to look again at Mary A Watson’s Domestic Economics notebook from 1868, a treasure map of the whats, wheres, whys, whens and hows of all you will ever need to know to run a home.
Additionally, I wanted to look again at the Alfred Barrow House yearbook - a place for girls to go for their “extra year” to learn "the foundation of what for most of them will be their future life's work." I hadn’t been able to find a thing about the place on the internet and there isn’t anything further in the archives so will keep exploring.
Susan has been such a wealth of knowledge and so supportive of the project.
In each of these spots, I left questionnaires, washing machine postboxes, pens and biscuits for people to fill in whilst their load is on.
A great first day on the ground before going off to bed ready for my shift with John at Easyclean in the morning!
Saturday 26th March - Residency Day 2
I popped into Crellin St, first thing, to make a video to share about the project and who did I meet? A lovely lady who went to Alfred Barrow House! She couldn’t remember dates and didn’t think that laundry was part of the curriculum but the girls did have to make all the teachers their tea! This was such a lovely connection, especially as there had been no joy on the internet! I can’t wait to tell Susan!
Then on to my shift at Easyclean or Johns Wash and Wax over on Barrow Island. Well, I say shift, I’m sure John, John and Cat who run the place will tell you I didn’t get much work done! I’m sure I won’t be getting employed! But my goodness, I had such a wonderful time with the two Johns, Cat and all the wonderful customers who popped in. John also showed me the ticket stubs from the Pawn Shop that was there before the building became a laundry and a picture from about 1968. Walking into Easyclean, or John’s, as everyone calls it, is like walking into a cave of treasures. Peppered with eco-friendly products and potions, and a warm and friendly greeting, this place means so much to everyone who uses it and I heard “the island would be lost without John”, very much more than once during my time there.
Thoughts, threads and themes - to be continued...
I am as stuck to know what to write as I was at the beginning of this blog post, but not from a lack of ideas, rather too many thoughts, threads and themes to further explore! Hopefully, I will be able to filter my next blog to be less of a diary and more focused on the themes and ideas. Esther said to me, “depth not breadth” and “follow the story”. It doesn’t surprise me that Barrow-in-Furness is full of stories and I am looking forward to diving deeper over the following weeks.
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