Possible Clues:

• Temperature in small animal centre dips here, perhaps
• Large container for washing
• Where to come clean and boast what hubby occasionally sacrificed
• Black, though hot tap finally failing to turn where one could wash
• Where to soak (mainly US)
• English city, but to the west, that’s associated with The Wash?
• Homemade gin vessel
• Gin source of the 1920s?
• With races, popular sea-side competitions
• Place for a soak (almost, except for letters 2 and 6)