hidden bath tub

[Zebra]

It has taps! You haven't plumbed it in, have you? I take it that it was originally plumbed in? Where on earth did the waste pipe go, being so low down? You've still never heard of such an arrangement before?

 

[Ebenezer]

Imagine relaxing in that bath infront of a roaring stove!

 

[ryan]

thanks guys. I'm very happy with how the bath came out. Repaired it with firbreglass and epoxy resin, then coated in rust converter with a final couple of coats of a metal 'flow coat' type of paint.
don't think it has not been plumbed in for a long time although there was some left over lead pipes connecting it to an old copper back boiler tank at the back of the fireplace. The rest of the fireplace had already been removed and a 1970s gas set up put in. We are on quite a steep slope so the bath drained to the waste pipe at the front of the house..... approx. 1m cavity under the floors at the front sloping up to nothing at the back.

 

[Feltwell]

I have to say that I'd be very, very tempted to plumb that back in again.

I wonder if this is unique and built as a one-off? Have any of your neighbours got this? You'd need the big under-floor cavity to put it in really, so it wouldn't have suited many houses, plus the problem of the connection for the waste in most houses.

It could have been done here - we have an underfloor cavity that is easily big enough, and the drains are very low, but this house was built with a bathroom to begin with (that would have held just a bath - no inside loo of course).

Your house must have been the envy of the neighbours when it was built, if all they had was a tin bath hanging on the wall of the backyard to be brought in & put in front of the fire once a week!

 

[ryan]

Yeah Feltwell,
I did think long and hard about re-plumbing it, mainly with the idea of filling with ice and beers in the summer! We are in a terrace row, of four 2/3 bedders and one double fronted n the end. My understanding is that they were workmans cottages for a nearby mill. All the single fronted houses have sunken bath, either in the sitting room or kitchen although I don't think the larger double fronted place has it. Very odd, I'd love to find out more as everyone, including plenty of older locals, I have had in are really amazed and never seen it before.
The other houses are all fully carpeted as mine once when we bought it. It's a bit of a shame really as I see it as a really cool feature and conversation piece. There is a small attached out house which I assume was the original WC. The buildings were built around the turn of the century which is actually pretty new compared to the rest of the neighbourhood.

 

[paulb33]

Interesting description of hiding baths at the turn of the century (including sunken fireside). The bath as a settle is particularly eccentric. I wonder how many are out there that folks are unaware of?

This digitized text on Bournvile includes some lovely photos. https://archive.org/details/modelvillageitsc00harviala

 

[ryan]

that is a great find,
thank you paul. The only other reference I can find is a newspaper article reporting about a woman who unknowingly had a covered up bath in her floor that was leaking and did quite a bit of damage. The point of the story was complaining about the insurance company but the photo is great..... se attached.
Ryan

 

[ryan]

heres an updated pic of our sitting room with the bath hatch in place. Room is still pretty spartan as we have only just moved in last week and still fitting out.
Ryan

 

[paulb33]

The look on her face.... :lol:

 

[paulb33]

heres an updated pic of our sitting room with the bath hatch in place. Room is still pretty spartan as we have only just moved in last week and still fitting out. Ryan

Looks great, Ryan. Is the TV in the right place for the 'tap end'?

 

[LadyArowana]

The look on her face.... :lol:

Priceless, I hope they titled the photo "crouching woman hidden bathtub"

 

[paulb33]

...and the state she's left the water.

 

[Penners]

She or her partner must have been in the army.

They've painted the coal white.