It was only a matter of time before we created a post on the history of the ubiquitous toilet. We just had to cover one of the world’s great inventions; well ok, we admit it’s hardly comparable to electricity or the wheel, but it’s certainly revolutionised the world we live in today. So, here’s a brief history of the wonderful loo…

Thomas Crapper is universally credited for inventing the toilet; however his company, T. Crapper Brass & Co., Ltd, did in fact design and develop valve-andsiphon in 1891, not the flushing loo. His company manufactured water closets that were found all over England in the years preceding World War I. He also inspired young American soldiers stationed in England during that time; returning to America with a new slang term ‘Crapper’ for this novel household invention.

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However, contrary to popular believe Mr Crapper wasn’t the Godfather of loos (which would make the expression “swim with the fishes” interesting). You can go back as far as 1596 when Queen Elizabeth I’s godson, Sir John Harrington, designed a similar patent for her, but never convinced the masses. It probably didn’t help that England lacked an extensive and reliable sewer system in the 16^th century.

Fast forward a hundred years or so and the Victorians did what the Elizabethans should have done; they made the distinct connection between unsanitary conditions and disease. By developing municipal sewer systems they were able to keep all major cities cleaner, however struggled to connect households to this new system.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries (about the same time the sewers were built), English patents were granted for several different types of water-closet valves, but their flushing actions were pretty unreliable. The wall-mounted cistern that became popular in the 1870s vastly improved the situation because it provided a large volume of water under more pressure. In 1885, Thomas Twyford built the first vitreous-china toilet, provoking competition from other eminent English potteries, such as Wedgwood and Doulton and it wasn’t long before vitreous china became industry standard.  

Then along came the flushing loo, which put a welcome stop to people ‘going’ in chamber pots or outside of the nearest window; and thus the ‘modern indoor bathroom’ was born. Believe it or not, the very first indoor bathroom was a sought-after social event; shared by friends and family…

Within decades, the toilet became a permanent fixture in many high-class homes, but it didn’t take long for indoor plumbing to be widely perceived as a good idea. By the 1920s, indoor bathrooms were mandatory in all English and American building codes relating to single-family residential construction.

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However, people living in the 19^th and 20^th centuries discovered it was impossible to flush without the risk of contamination. Even today there’s prevailing contamination in many parts of the world’s freshwater supplies, which is still a significant flaw with the flush concept. There is always pressure on us to save on water and maintain hygiene standards of course, but in the meantime as our loos try to keep up with expectation, all we can do is ensure that they’re kept clean, tidy and acceptable for everyone else.

We respect the loo here at Albany, so if you want to make sure yours is too get in touch with us today to discuss our versatile hygiene services and washroom supplies.