The Vintage Plumber

The Vintage Plumber Dedicated to collecting, restoring, preserving and showcasing a range of unique and interesting examples of Britain's heritage plumbing. 🇬🇧

Sent in by James Kay who spotted this masterpiece at a vintage fair! Thanks for sharing with us, James. I wonder how old...
24/08/2026

Sent in by James Kay who spotted this masterpiece at a vintage fair! Thanks for sharing with us, James. I wonder how old it is. 😱🤩

I've just picked up this absolutely gorgeous Shanks "New Rotunda" low-level cistern from my Cornish mate, John, who boug...
08/08/2026

I've just picked up this absolutely gorgeous Shanks "New Rotunda" low-level cistern from my Cornish mate, John, who bought this on my behalf earlier this year via Facebook Marketplace.

The cistern is copper-lined and encased in polished mahogany wood. It is thought to date back to the 1930s.

The internal components are all original as well, comprising of an original Part One ballcock, a Shanks New Rotunda brass syphon and a Shanks tap connector isolation valve.

Aside from being a highly-desirable collection piece, I've also taken a strong liking to the cistern and will most likely retro-fit it in my new house I've recently moved into.

I'm very much looking forward to working my magic on this masterpiece and unique example of vintage plumbing.

Something different again. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting "Shiver me Timbers" this morning, an architectural sa...
07/08/2026

Something different again. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting "Shiver me Timbers" this morning, an architectural salvage/reclamation yard based near Penzance in Cornwall. Forever in pursuit of more vintage plumbing fixutres to add to my ever-expanding collection, I wouldn't help but pop in for a wee visit. 😅
This is is full of character and definitely caters to a wide range of tastes. Well worth a visit if you're down in the area. 👌

I thought I would share something a little different with you all for my latest post, still in keeping with the vintage ...
06/08/2026

I thought I would share something a little different with you all for my latest post, still in keeping with the vintage theme, of course.

Here are some my best photos I took yesterday - whilst urban exploring - of a abandoned boarding school, based in Devon.

Apart from the usual vandalism and general deterioration expected in derelict buildings, some original features still remain, including some original art-deco plumbing fixtures dating back to the 1930s.

While it's sad and shameful that traditional buildings like these are left to fall apart, I do find something beautiful about nature slowly taking over and reclaiming the land.

Hello there, plumb-chums! A wee update since it's been a while since my last post. I'm currently away from Scotland and ...
04/08/2026

Hello there, plumb-chums! A wee update since it's been a while since my last post. I'm currently away from Scotland and down in England for the full week - mostly in Devon and Cornwall - for a mixture of business and pleasure. 😁

I thought I would share today's haul with you all, including six sets of Prestex bath/shower mixer taps (thought to date from the 1970s) as well as an original set of "Pyrahex" art-deco bath taps! 🤩

I'm very much looking forward to cleaning up one of the mixer taps to put on display in the plumbing museum when I get round to setting that all back up again (I have recently moved house). However, I am even more enthralled with the Pyrahex bath taps as I have a matching set of basin taps to go with them. 😎

More content to come. See you all next time.

- Jack

A set of kitchen pillar "Supataps" from the 1960s in mint condition! I love their very unique and futuristic design. 🤩Fo...
12/07/2026

A set of kitchen pillar "Supataps" from the 1960s in mint condition! I love their very unique and futuristic design. 🤩

For those who aren't familiar with Supataps, they gained their legendary status amongst us plumbers as the tap washers could be changed WITHOUT needing to isolate the water supply due to their design! Incredible!

If you like to learn more about Supataps, please check out this link to a post I wrote about them back in 2024:

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DancNyyhV/

I bought these off eBay a while back with a view to retro-fitting them in my own home. I'll likely use them for a utility sink for a garage conversion when the circumstances permit.

I have also included a scan of an original Supataps advert at the end of the photos, too.

Thanks for viewing today's post! Plenty more vintage plumbing content in the pipeline! 😎

- Jack

Another original catalogue cutting thought to have originated from the 1920s! Absolutely plumb-tastic! 🤩
08/07/2026

Another original catalogue cutting thought to have originated from the 1920s! Absolutely plumb-tastic! 🤩

Take a look at this detialed and beautifully-illustrated art-deco sanitaryware catalogue from 1938! Talk about a time wa...
01/07/2026

Take a look at this detialed and beautifully-illustrated art-deco sanitaryware catalogue from 1938! Talk about a time warp! 😱🤩

The book is in very good condition for it's age, and is host to a range or luxury sanitary appliances including old syphonic WCs, enamelled cast-iron baths, wash-hand basins, hospital appliances and more!

It's sad to think how much of these quality goods have been ripped out and thoughtlessly discarded only to be replaced with cheap, inferior sanitaryware from China etc.

While many will no doubt regard sanitaryware as simple, everyday functional items, it is important to bear in mind that the older appliances carry great historical value and should be preserved if possible.

Once it's gone, it's gone!

See you all next time, folks. Thanks for stopping by. 😃

- Jack

Here's a spectacular Shanks "Sureflo" porcelain syphon from the 1960s! They sure don't make them like this anymore! WOW!...
28/06/2026

Here's a spectacular Shanks "Sureflo" porcelain syphon from the 1960s! They sure don't make them like this anymore! WOW! 😱🤩

I've always had a soft spot for the Sureflo syphons because it was upon discovering one of these back in late 2018 that the concept of The Vintage Plumber was born. From then on I've been collecting and restoring vintage plumbing fixtures since.

This syphon was recovered from the Perthshire area in Scotland and came from a 1960s Shanks "Stylus" low-level cistern. It's got a 1¾ inch outlet which is an unusual size, but it seems to have been a standard outlet size for a lot of Shanks' flush mechanisms back in the day.

I have restored several porcelain syphons over the years, so fixing this one up was a breeze. The porcelain body was initially cleaned up in lukewarm, soapy water then given a deep clean with Barkeeper's Friend (brillaint stuff, eats through stains on ceramics in seconds).

I renewed the old imperial-sized brass clamp bolts with metric equivalents (M6 x 30mm brass bolts) and fitted new washers, too. The diaphragm washer was also replaced.

The brass clamp and other parts were cleaned up with a corded drill with a variety of polishing mops and compounds to achieve a flawless shine.

I've added a photo at the very end which displays all the components used for this syphon.

Having been permanently retired from service, this Shanks Sureflo syphon now sits proudly on display as a museum piece along with a whole range of other vintage plumbing fixtures I've collected and restored over the years.

Thanks for checking out today's restoration post, and I'll see you all next time. 😎

- Jack

The spoils from a 4 day conquest down in England and South Wales! 🤩 I returned to Scotland last night after a hellish am...
03/04/2026

The spoils from a 4 day conquest down in England and South Wales! 🤩 I returned to Scotland last night after a hellish amount of long-distance driving... Slept like a baby! 😴

Quite an impressive haul of vintage plumbing artifacts here, if I do say so myself. 😅 There's a good range of relics here dating from the early to mid-20th century (possibly late 19th century in regards to the bath mixer tap).

I'm at a total loss what to start working on as I'm spoiled for choice... Maybe that old bath mixer tap? What do you guys and gals reckon? 🤔

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