Cast iron box gutter brackets

[cnoubrinn]

Hello all!

This is low down on the priority list at the moment - but an interesting bit of investigation work... I'm at the beginning of restoring my recently inherited, concrete covered, Georgian(ish) stone cottage.
It's attached to a rather large g-II Georgian 'villa' from about 1813.

Being a kind chap, my Dad decided to give all of the unbroken gutter brackets to the neighbours, the cottage not being listed and all. And now I'd like to put something similar back again! Have hopefully attached a picture... unsure if they are from a later Victorian 'facelift' or part of the original build. Either way, I can't find anything that replicates them - has anyone spotted anything similar? Reclaimed or replica, I'm not fussy (the mean Cumbria weather will soon get some patina on them!!) I can't find any that aren't shelf brackets... and they don't have the additional scroll/lip at the top to hold the gutter in place.



From a very excited, but rather novice PP owner

 

[PeterI]

I don't have an answer but giving this a bump as it's your first post.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oooh piccies of the house please.

I bet Doug will have the answer to this.

 

[middi]

That bracket looks as if it is one of a pair that would have been originally used to hold those old pull chain toilet cistern high up against a wall.

Middi

 

[MatthewC]

That bracket looks as if it is one of a pair that would have been originally used to hold those old pull chain toilet cistern high up against a wall.

Middi

That's what I thought as well! I took a horrible pair of those to the scrapyard two years ago (one broke as it was rusted to the tank...)

 

[cnoubrinn]

Thanks for the replies, I realise it's not the most exciting first post but one that's sprung up in the first round of tasks!
I have seen the brackets used to hold cisterns - and wondered if they might do the job.
The Lodge next door has them round the whole building, but they're no longer functional as they've replaced the guttering with a plastic 'lookalikee' and plastic holding brackets (as you can see in the photo).
The Cottage, which is earlier than the lodge, was restyled to look like a mini version on the side. The chap who I think owned/built the lodge was called Quintin Blackburn and I know he was a shipping merchant - so it figures he'd have used what ever he came across (i.e. a job lot of cistern brackets!) but that was in 1812 ish and I'm not sure whether the brackets are Georgian or a bit later.

Will get searching for cistern brackets straight away!

 

[DJH]

It looks very similar to MacFarlane casting...




This is a page from an extraordinary catalogue issued in 1938 with over 300 pages of cast iron rainwater heads and gutter profiles. The heads seem to be direct copies of lead originals but it is an extremely comprehensive list of castings available at that time. Volume two of the book features sanitary ware and pipes etc.



If you could get hold of an original to copy I would suggest you have them cast in resin (which is something you could do yourself) using a black colour in the mix and use them as decoration fixed to each existing, or new bracket.

Here's another picture from the book showing an elaborate gutter and head to give you some ideas...



Doug

 

[cnoubrinn]

Thank you so much Doug!
Interestingly, I hadn't notice that the brackets have flowers on the South and West facing walls - and ivy leaves on the North and West facing sides (both shown in the pages you've shared).
I can easily borrow back an original bracket as they don't actually do anything anymore - just hover below the guttering which is held up by modern replacements as you've suggested.

What a fascinating catalogue I'm off to find some resin kits!

 

[DJH]

I forgot to mention that the copy of MacFarlane's Castings that I have has a letter from the firm to their customer,dated 1938, asking them to glue in a new price list as prices had fallen :shock: since publication!!

Doug