MACHINES made their final spin on Monday at a laundry that provided clean clothes for generations of Kentish Town families.
Falling demand is blamed for the closure of the laundry at Prince of Wales Road baths after 103 years, which has angered its users.
Regular Josie Kelly, of Bayham Street, said: “They could have cut it down to a few machines but they shouldn’t have closed it altogether. It was a godsend, especially if you had a large family or sick relatives to look after.
“It was built for the poor all those years ago and now we are such a rich borough and can’t afford to keep it going. It’s a terrible loss.”
Ms Kelly, who visited the laundry for the last time on Friday, added: “Other launderettes are just too expensive and they don’t have the same size machines so it will just take too long to do a wash anywhere else.”
A council press official said that around 40 users had taken up an offer of a goodwill payment of £250 towards the cost of a washing machine.
He said: “The laundry was expensive to maintain and had old equipment. Usage has been declining for years, especially since its unique feature, its steam presses, were removed for health and safety reasons.”
The Town Hall refuses to be drawn on plans for the laundry, although one member of staff told the New Journal there were rumours that it would be turned into a café.