The Plumbing Profession Has Come A Long Way From The Mediaeval Days
We tend to take for granted the intricacies and convenience of modern plumbing systems and our modern plumbers including plumbing Brighton, usually ready to assist fix items if something goes awry. This is actually a far cry from the days of The Middle Ages, when plumbing conditions had been as dire as could be imagined!
The very first mediaeval toilet, or w.c., utilised by the French royal family in the early fifteenth century, by way of example, has been on display in an exhibition in Paris and reveals some interesting French plumbing secrets.
King John the Fearless, as the French monarch was named, possibly for his resolute approach to the royal loo, had one of the most contemporary toilet and plumbing system of the time.
King John’s personal loo was at the leading of his city tower and came with all those mediaeval comforts fit for a king: a comfy padded seat, a heater and a method to remove foul royal smells! The loo’s 25 metre shaft descended into the bowels of the palace to a primitive septic tank which is still there these days and has the stains to prove its profligate use. This pit was lined by stone and had a permeable floor to enable liquid waste to drain downwards. The pit was mostly covered, which helped to stop horrible smells from escaping into the royal living quarters.
The royal plumber of the day was a chap called Monsieur Fifi and he had the unenviable job of emptying the pit from time to time of solid waste.
Toilet plumbing was of lesser concern for the commoners. A hole in the wall to the outside or an outhouse built above ground having a hole in the floor was the norm. Human waste went the very same way as that of the king – downwards, but the collection program was rather less subtle.
The royal posteriors had the very best cotton and linen rags to use as medieval toilet paper, whilst the commoners employed the soft leaves of a plant referred to as common mullein. The plant still grows in the tower’s garden and can no doubt be tested for comfort by the curious visitor.
The Middle Ages really had a reasonably wholesome attitude towards water and its cleansing qualities: both for religious and well being factors it was observed as an essential source of purity. This attitude changed in later years and the external natural elements of air and water were observed to be one thing to be avoided. Possibly since the environments of eighteenth and nineteenth century cities had become so indescribably filthy that long exposure outside could be injurious to one’s personal health.
French hygiene in certain went into noticeable decline and it can be known that the poor courtiers of the Versailles court had to squat in any old corner they could discover as a result of the lack of suitable plumbing. Architecturally, as a result of the large increase in urban populations in later centuries, old buildings had to be subdivided into many smaller units and this led to wonderful difficulties when incorporating a supply of water or sanitary arrangements. Even these days, many French pipes employed to carry away toilet waste have really narrow diameters and require waste to be macerated by some sort of mechanical device to guarantee they can be carried away easily.
This article has been written and researched by Keith Buxton, working inconjunction with the best Plumbers Worthing and based at 1 Cottage, Brighton, East Sussex, BN6 8TW – 01273 841923
Processing your request, Please wait....
