stone bath - origins and uses?

[Wren]

I am curious as to whether the original use was domestic (for bathing), agricultural (dairy?) or industrial.

Some people have suggested bringing it up to scratch as a bath to use in a bathroom. I can see that it could look quite striking in a bathroom, but maybe not overly practical (a bit nippy on a cold winter morning). The other option is that we have vegetable plot and for a water supply are currently making do with a large plastic bucket as a trough (that could do with replacing with something a bit nicer). Both of these would involve actually moving the stone bath (I dread to think). For now (and probably for at least few more years) it is staying where it is, but nice to think of future possibilities.

 

[MdB]

I can't comment on the use / history but please make sure it is insured. Our neighbour has two of them nicked overnight and they are worth something like £2k each...

 

[Penners]

Some people have suggested bringing it up to scratch as a bath to use in a bathroom.

I should think "scratch" would be an appropriate word in this case, the human posterior being a moderately sensitive organ...

 

[Feltwell]

Some people have suggested bringing it up to scratch as a bath to use in a bathroom.

I should think "scratch" would be an appropriate word in this case, the human posterior being a moderately sensitive organ...

:lol:

I think you'd have to be the size of a wren to use it! It looks extremely short, rather like the Japanese type baths you can get now. Not a clue as to original use, although I can't think why the shaped end would be needed for anything other than a bath.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Lovely - how long is it? I've got one- but it's more of a "D" shape; it's about 5 feet long and 2 feet high. The previous owner dug it out of the garden, and described it as being part of the original Georgian drainage system for the house. He said there's a kind of brick built room under the front garden, and he pulled it out of that when he was digging a trench for electricity.

I've got another stone trough thing he "found" in the field below, that's much smaller and shallower and does look like some medieval drinking trough.

Both stone items are full of sempervivums, and no, I wouldn't fancy moving either!

 

[Penners]

there's a kind of brick built room under the front garden

Do your deeds by any chance show that your house was ever owned by a Mr E. A. Poe?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Ooh I do hope so! I just can't wait to get that mini digger in for my pond and see what and who's buried down there!

 

[Wren]

How to look like a prat, part 1 - ask the wrong question.

It is in fact very bath-like (longer than it looks in the photo and finished with white enamel(?) on the inside). Which begs the question not what is it, but what is it made of. Squinting in the darkness I think we can now say that it is not stone, but some sort of earthenware which is very heavily weathered so that it looks like stone (will double check in the morning when it is light again). Much more plausible that we would have an old earthenware bath lying around than to imagine it was carved out of stone (although I gather that stone baths do exist).

Oops.

 

[Penners]

I've just had a thought. I wonder whether your stone bath is made from Bath stone.






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