Westoe Netty

[
Westoe Netty] The Westoe Netty is a painting by Robert Olley. It depicts a historical scene inside a public toilet (Netty is a Geordie dialect word for toilet). Painted in 1972 [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/apr/04/artnews.art Urinal finds museum home] "The Guardian", 4 April 2007] , it has become a cultural symbol of North East England working class history [ [http://www.visitcountydurham.com/site/press-and-pr/2008/8/21/north-east-netty-takes-pride-of-place-at-beamish-a506 North East Netty takes pride of place at Beamish] Durham Tourist Board, 21 August 2008] .

Olley was a former miner turned local artist, and his painting was inspired by a real toilet that was formerly sited in Westoe, South Shields [ [http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1298826.famous_toilet_to_go_on_display/ Famous toilet to go on display] "The Northern Echo", 30 March 2007] . His painting depicted six working class men and a little boy using the netty, which was frequently used by workers travelling to the nearby Westoe Colliery. The painting portrays the wall of the netty covered in humerous and often vulgar graffiti, reflecting many local phrases and cultural references.

The original toilet was built in 1890. When the area it was sited in was earmarked for regeneration, the toilet was saved from demolition by friends of the artist, who dismantled it and put into storage in 1996 in a local shipyard. In 2008 the toilet was rebuilt as a permanent exhibibit at the Beamish Museum, County Durham, and opened on 25 July 2008 with a recreation of the picture's scene staged for the media [ [http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2008/07/26/famous-westoe-netty-finds-home-at-beamish-61634-21408794/ Famous Westoe netty finds home at Beamish] "The Journal", 26 July 2008] .

References

External links

* [http://www.robertolley.co.uk/ Robert Olley's website]