On a trip to Mendocino, California in 1972, I found a molded and painted ceramic toilet I thought would be interesting to use as a plant pot. The ferns I planted have survived on benign neglect ever since.
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Old toilet reused as a planter |
My curiosity about old toilets was sparked, but I didn't learn anything about them until I purchased a book in 1978 titled
Temples of Convenience by
Lucinda Lambton. An expanded version of the book,
Temples of Convenience: & Chambers of Delight was published in 2002. The book features some gorgeous photos of transfer printed toilets, so I hoped I would eventually find one to replace the boring white toilets I had in my house.
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Temples of Convenience by Lucinda Lambton St. Martin's Press, 1978 |
The opportunity didn't arise until late in the 1980s when I spotted a floral printed toilet at a shop in Carmel, California. The owner of the shop assured me that the toilet could be plumbed, but when I got it home it seemed a pity to use in the conventional way. I put it next to my reading chair in the living room. A friend gave me a piece of glass to transform the toilet into a table.
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Dent & Hellyer Pedestal Hygienic toilet, ca. 1884 |
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Dent & Hellyer toilet repurposed as a side table! |
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Inside the Dent & Hellyer toilet/the registry number places manufacture around 1884 |
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A bit of Dent & Hellyer history |
In 2013, the
Transferware Collectors Club invited
Terry Woolliscroft to give a talk titled
The Tale of the Toilet at its annual meeting. Terry's excellent talk transformed the way I thought about the humble toilet. It is not merely a convenience, but a disease inhibitor. My toilet just serves as a side table to hold books (and sometimes a coffee cup). It is also a conversation starter.
For more toilet information read
T W Twyford Sanitary Pottery
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Lovely old toilets |
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A lovely toilet! An oxymoron? |
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