A Brief History of the Toilet

Who was responsible for the very first flushing toilet is still very much unclear, although there have been some archaeological digs in the northern part of India that shows there were extensive drainage systems there some 4,000 years ago. This may be an indication that there was some sort of toilet system in place, although this is of course not guaranteed to be the case here. Where it has been documented and confirmed, the first toilet was in Scotland in 3,000 BC and then after that it was the Greeks in 1,700 BC who had numerous pans that were connected to a fully flushing water supply, which took the waste away.

Roman era

As of the year 315 AD, it is believed that there were some 144 publicly available toilets in Rome and going to visit them was actually seen as something of a social event that was to be enjoyed with friends and family members. In these toilets there were sticks with sponges attached to the end that people would wipe themselves clean with. After use these were placed in running water to wash them clean – ready for the next person to use.

Medieval era

As times moved on, so did the practice of going to the toilet socially. Instead, people now went to the toilet on potties and through the contents straight out of their window or door and directly into their street. That was how ordinary people went to the toilet. The more affluent people and members of royalty however had a special room in their house that was located over a moat so that when they did their business it fell straight down into this. For the very poorest people who could not even afford their one potty, there were communal toilets known as garderobes. These were eventually replaced with commodes – a box like structure with a lid to cover over the copper or porcelain pot inside of it that caught the waste.

Victorian era

It was in 1848 when it became law that every new house that was built had to come with a toilet built into it. Shortly after this, sewage systems were built throughout the United Kingdom. As they became more popular as a result of these government interventions, some people began capitalising on these by manufacturing their own toilets and setting up businesses doing so. One such person was Thomas Crapper, who has now been given the title of inventor of the modern flushing toilet.

Modern era

It was in the 20th century when bathroom technology really arrived thanks to water tanks, flushable valves, and toilet roll – first becoming available on the market in 1902. The toilets that we used nowadays all have sealed water closets and automatic flushes, just like many of the toilets available from Victoria Plum.

After reading through this brief history of the toilet, the next time you go to do your business, you will have a new found appreciation for this great piece of technology.