Talk:Parson's Pleasure

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Parson's Pleasure painting by William Roberts

I have reinstated the link to this, which the compiler of Queer Oxford, a forthcoming 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) guide to Oxford', has described as 'an amazing document. The facility [nude bathing] is long gone and only the stories, a few photographs, and Roberts' painting remains of a legendary piece of Oxford history'. Radavenport (talk) 10:43, 22 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I have reinstated the link as it seems to have been removed since you last did it. If that book you mentioned has stopped being forthcoming and is now published it sounds like it would be a useful source to use to add to this article. Beorhtwulf (talk) 14:43, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Closure and gay angle

If anyone is in a position to contribute, it would be useful to have more in this article about:

1. The closure of the facility. Was there much controversy about this at the time? Were there alternative places for naked bathing in Oxford that regular visitors to Parson's Pleasure were able to take advantage of? The article says it now forms part of the parks as if it didn't before. Was it more difficult to access in the past, e.g. gated off?

2. Nothing is said in the article about whether this was a place for male homosexual activity, but this is alluded to by the mention of Maurice Bowra, whose article says he used to go cruising, by the quote above from Queer Oxford and by the template of WikiProject LGBT Studies on this talk page. Again it would be good if something could be added.

Beorhtwulf (talk) 14:43, 20 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

putting things into context

it isn't usual to put inline citations in the lede, which is supposed to be a summary of material that appears in the body of the article. also, it would seem, from the material I have added, that Parson's Pleasure was from at least as early as 1844, a regular swimming spot for both children and adults of both sexes. in the 1850s schoolboys had swimming matches there. the idea that it was "a secluded area for male-only nude bathing," comes much later and the article should make some attempt to put that limited use of it in context.Cottonshirt τ 06:23, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]

having given this a bit more thought I suspect that the change came about due to the advent of swimming baths. when schoolboys have baths available the river can then passively and organically become, over time, the preserve of the male nude bathing fraternity. I don't have a source for this but there was a meeting in the Radcliffe Library in November 1859, called by John Arkell of Pembroke College, the President of the University Boat Club, and attended by 300 members of the boating community, at which they discussed ways of reducing the deaths on the river, and they proposed funding a swimming bath, though the location of this and whether it actually got built remain, for the moment, unknown (by me). Cottonshirt τ 06:54, 9 August 2024 (UTC)[reply]