# British schools had coed changing rooms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627 "2005-12-01T21:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/21 "2005-12-02T20:33:14Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > If that’s not bad enough, a friend’s Dad claims that in his English boys’ public school in the 1950s they had swimming lessons naked. :eek: This was not unusal at YMCAs in the 50s in the US. We had our swimming lessons naked in 1-4th grades at my school as well. It was an all-boys school, but the althletic offices had a large window that overlooked the pool where a female secretary sat. On occasion if someone misbehaved badly enough they had to get out of the pool and dry off and sit in the office naked as well. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/22 "2005-12-03T11:28:50Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Nothing wrong with that! Noble tradition. Good enough for the Greeks, good enough for you! Never did me any harm. Made me the man I am today, in fact. ::twitch:: > > Seriously though, in Oxford where I’m now living there’s a stretch of the Cherwell river called “Parson’s Pleasure”, which, due to an ancient by-law, is a men-only naked swimming place. > > Indeed all-male nudity seems to be [all the rage](http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16425373&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=new-shame-of-troops--ritual-abuse--name_page.html) in Britain these days. Nude bathing for consentinga adults is one thing, but an adult teaching a class of small naked boys verges on the pervy, IMO. **jjimm** , I thought Parson’s Pleasure was a thing of the past. I lived in Oxford from 91-99 and punted past the spot many times. There was never anyone there, in any state of dress or undress. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/23 "2005-12-03T11:59:44Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > Nude bathing for consentinga adults is one thing, but an adult teaching a class of small naked boys verges on the pervy, IMO. It’s pervy only if the teacher happens to be a perv. And even then he isn’t the one who decided it would be that way. If it’s the norm at this time and place there’s nothing pervy about it. I assume the overwhelming majority of teachers didn’t give it a second thought. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/24 "2005-12-03T12:10:09Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > **jjimm** , I thought Parson’s Pleasure was a thing of the past. I lived in Oxford from 91-99 and punted past the spot many times. There was never anyone there, in any state of dress or undress. Last time I was there was 2000, and the changing cubicles were still there. Indeed I took a dip (in my undies, mind, but they turned out to be see through). They may have rescinded its status, however. Rumour has it it’s now a cruising spot after dark. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/25 "2005-12-03T15:21:30Z")
I went to Catholic School in the 70s. On the few occassions when we had gym together, the girls changed in the main part of the classroom. The boys were generally herded into the cloakroom, then monitored periodically by a (female lay) teacher walking through. Any objections to this were met with the nonsequitir, “It’s all right. I’m a mother.” I never had the pleasure of attending when the nuns were teaching, so I don’t know what they said, or if they just let the rulers do the talking. The we were off to the Sanctu-Cafe-tori-nasium for square dancing, or some such, followed by furniture moving. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627/26 "2005-12-03T19:26:04Z")
I went to primary school in the 60s and it was entirely separate then. Building wasn’t new, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-schools-had-coed-changing-rooms/333627.md?page=1)