Found in Partick, Glasgow by Graham Douglas and kindly donated by him.
The Clutha Glasgow wash down water closet.
1894 – 1895 – The Clutha Sanitary Appliances Co (John Gourlay, manager), patentees, 197 Dumbarton Rd.
1900- 1901 – John Gourlay, (The Clutha Sanitary Appliances Co.), ho. 4 Mains St.
1910 – 1911 – The Clutha Sanitary Appliances Co., safety and syphon waste preventing valves, 411 and 413 St. Vincent St.
1914 – 1915 – The Clutha Sanitary Appliances Co., 411-413 St. Vincent St.
(Note – SBH – no obvious mechanism for attaching a seat)
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Below – Initially I thought this was made for a Clutha Ferry but my update above on 24/06/2015 suggests there was a Company making such articles and only used the Clutha name as a trademark and as such their products were possibly for general use – while slightly disappointing it may still be that there was a connection with the Ferry Company – I will leave my initial ponderings and postulations below just in case my update is incorrect but I suspect it is not!
A wonderful piece of Scottish history. Although the maker’s name is not to be found on this water closet, I am 100% certain it will be a Scottish maker, possibly J and M Craig, Kilmarnock, Shanks or Robert Brown of Paisley just to mention a few contenders. If anyone has any information on the maker of this water closet or indeed any photos of them in situ then please get in touch.
The ferries going up and down the River Clyde, Glasgow, rather than across, were called “Cluthas”
Below – Clutha Ferry No 6
Below – 1899 – Media article of the Clutha Ferries, River Clyde, Glasgow
Below – 1903 – Media article regarding the demise of the Clutha’s
Update 12/06/2015 – Shanks and Co, Barrhead, Glasgow are now my favourites for being the manufacturer of this product – base on the following “… and sanitary ware manufacturers such as Doultons and Shanks, had always depended on the shipyards for the bulk of their orders.” and …”Shanks patented a non-return valve that allowed flushing toilets to be installed in ships and due to this and further inventions, his business flourished.” – Source
Below – 1932 – Shanks sanitary ware for ships – (Note – SBH I appreciate that the Cluthas were gone by 1903 and this advert is c. 1932 but Shanks & Co appear to have been making sanitary ware for shipping for many years).
However, in the 1934 – 1935 trade directory it states that R Brown & Sons, Ferguslie Fireclay Works, Paisley manufacture amongst many other items … white enamelled fireclay sanitary ware and ships valve closets …
Thanks to Mark Norstad for the following information. . Mark states – The ‘Heathery Knowe’ was found underneath an old house in Marin County, CA (near San Francisco). The age of the house is unknown. Below – Heathery Knowe Patent Glasgow – Heatheryknowe Fire Clay Works, Glasgow. (Note – SBH – Heathery Knowe appears to be…
Found by Chris Sakelarios in Redwood City, California, USA. Chris states – The brick is in a garden of a Victorian home built in 1857. It was occupied by John Offerman and his family from 1857 until their passing. It is still standing in Redwood City, California. I will be operating a specialty coffee house and saloon….
This brick was found in Everett, Washington, USA by Gabrielle Burton. Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley. . . . .
The following bricks have been found in the California area by Alan Miller. . . . . Below – Bathville – Bathville Brick and Fire Clay Works, Armadale, West Lothian. Below – Patent, R. Brown & Son, Paisley – Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley. Below –…
Spotted by Gary Buckham in the Midlothian area and recovered by Ian Suddaby. This example is not in my possession. Note the ‘Robt’ abbreviation which is unusual for the Robert Brown Stamps. Note also the two reversed ‘N’s. The lettering is also raised. Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile…
Found by Carol Woods on the shore of San Francisco Bay in Hayward, California. . . . . Below – The brick stamp should read ‘Patent R Brown & Son, Paisley’ – Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley, Renfrewshire
Found by Hock Keong in Singapore. Hock states – This half a brick from a hilly area beside a road, Clementi Road, but which used to be Reformatory Road, before the road was re-named. The location is a short distance away from the grounds of the former Reformatory School which started in February 1901, for…
This brick was found by Syeeba Medina Azza in an abandoned fortress at Oranje Nassau near Banjarbaru City, Kalimantan. This fortress was built in 1849. . . . Below – Patent R. Brown & Son, Paisley – Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley.
Found in the Paisley area. Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley. This example has raised lettering on one side and indented letters on the other. . . . .
Found Paisley. Robert Brown & Son, Ferguslie Fireclay Works and Caledonian Brick and Tile Works, Paisley. . . . .
