'The Tale of the Toilet'

A history of how today's toilet was developed into one of the most significant inventions of the last 1000 years

4,500 years of sanitation history across key milestones - from the ancient Indus Valley's surprisingly sophisticated flush toilets all the way to today's health-monitoring smart toilets. 

The toilet. The most fundamental of all ceramics.

It has been described as 'one of the most important inventions of the last 1,000 years' 

I didn’t say that, but none other than the London Times newspaper said that in its millennium edition. It compared the invention of the toilet with, amongst others, the development of the Gutenberg printing press in the 1400s, the atomic bomb, and the moon landing of 1969. 

Here’s another statement: 'one of the most successful designs ever. It doesn’t only improve lives, it saves them'

I didn’t say that, but none other than the Manchester Independent newspaper said that in a morning edition from some time ago.

And one more bold statement: 'it has done more to improve the health of the people of the world than any pills or potions' 

I said that!

And it is true that the toilet is an important invention and all plumbing  professionals, know that. But in the whole history of mankind it is relatively recent as we had to wait for the great entrepreneurs of the Victorian times for it to be developed into what we know and love today.

 ANCIENT WORLD     

Primitive Sanitation  Early primitives were, of course, the first sanitarians. They knew the rules – and learned them the hard way. 

They knew that they must keep their sewage away from their cooking. They knew that they had to keep their kitchen upstream and their toilet downstream. If they reversed this layout there would be trouble - terrible consequences. Death would follow. It is this  fundamental principle that we work with today. The toilet is part of the important process of separating excreta from drinking water.

c.2500 BC - The World's First Toilets The Indus Valley Civilization (modern-day Pakistan & India) builds flush toilets connected to sophisticated brick-lined sewers - among the first known sanitation systems in human history.

c.1700 BC - Minoan Palace Plumbing The Palace of Knossos on Crete features a toilet flushed with water poured from a jug, along with a complex system of terracotta pipes for drainage — astonishing for the era.

c.100 BC - Roman Latrines  The Romans were excellent sanitarians. They regarded ablutions as extremely important and built elaborate latrines in their  towns and forts. Evidence remains of bath houses and toilet blocks. Here communal latrines had been built. Users sat on marble slabs. Each slab, with its hole, was supported above gushing water to take away excreta. Fresh water  channels in front of the slabs allowed users to wash themselves using a natural sponge tied to the end of a twig or stick.

Of course the invention of toilet tissue was years ahead and was not available to the Romans. Sponge sticks were an excellent way of cleaning, but I do suspect that they were the origin of the phrase “the wrong end of the stick”!

The Romans left Britain in 410 AD and their civilisation and legacy of sanitary science went with them. Their heritage disappeared and we plunged into the Dark Ages. A thousand years unwashed.

 MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE     

c.1000s - The Castle Garderobe Medieval castles feature the 'garderobe' - a small alcove with a hole dropping into the moat or a cesspit below. Clothes were often hung here, as the ammonia smell was believed to repel moths.

1400s–1600s  - The Royal Close Stool European royalty use padded, velvet-lined "close stools" - ornate boxes with chamber pots hidden inside. Attendance at the royal toilet becomes a coveted court privilege; the "Groom of the Stool" is a prestigious office in England.

 THE AGE OF INVENTION             

1596 - Harington's Water Closet Sir John Harington, “Father of the Water Closet” and eccentric Godson of Queen Elizabeth 1st invents a flushing toilet and describes the details in his book “Metamorphosis of Ajax”. (Ajax is a corruption of “A Jakes” which was the term used to describe a “privy”). 

Sir John Harington

The WC was essentially a “Valve Closet” and one was installed for use by the Queen at Richmond Palace. (It was the Queen, remember, who took a bath once a month whether she needed one or not!)

Water, “but not a whole Thames full”, was used to wash the toilet chamber. Unfortunately the toilet did not catch on - perhaps it was too complicated and expensive for its time. Later Royals, James 1st, Charles 1st and 2nd and James 2nd all preferred “Royal Close Stools” (see above) or chamber pots which, of course, required emptying into the local river or moat.

Harington was almost two hundred years ahead of his time!

1775 - Cumming's first notable development of the Flushing Toilet Scottish watchmaker Alexander Cumming patents the first true flush toilet with a sliding valve at the bottom of the bowl. This followed several attempts during the early 1700’s to improve the closet. Cummings’ design was notable for its “S-trap” feature and used swirling water to cleanse the toilet bowl. Crucially, he adds an S-shaped pipe that holds water to block sewer gases - the origin of the modern U-bend.

Cummings sliding valve closet

1778 - Bramah's Improved Design - Joseph Bramah, a locksmith, took Cummings patent and improved it further and perfected a design which became the benchmark for WC’s for the next 80 to 100 years. “A most satisfactory water closet”. The Bramah patent gave an improved water closet with a hinged valve at the bottom of the bowl, which becomes the standard across England.

Bramah Valve Closet 1778

Bramah’s products were “quality” pieces and his name gave us the slang meaning “first rate” or “a good one”! 6000 Bramahs had been manufactured by 1797 - a genuine commercial success. Even so the closet was complex and expensive and not too hygienic.

1815 - John Doulton invests in Lambeth Pottery - John Doulton invests his life savings of £100 in a small pottery in Lambeth, London. John goes into partnership with John Watts and Martha Jones making domestic wares

1827 - John Doulton commences production of Stoneware pipes. The first production of ceramic pipes begins at Doulton’s Lambeth factory together with stoneware jars.

 THE VICTORIAN REVOLUTION    

1851 - The Crystal Palace Toilets Public flushing toilets are displayed at the Great Exhibition in London's Crystal Palace. Over 800,000 visitors pay a penny to use them — giving rise to the British phrase "spend a penny." George Jennings, their designer, campaigns passionately for public sanitation. Jennings continued the development of the WC and his patent described a “wash-out” design of toilet bowl.

1858 - The Great Stink of London A sweltering summer causes the Thames - effectively London's open sewer - to emit an overwhelming stench. Parliament itself was suspended and driven from its chambers. “Something has to be done!” was the cry! Similar problems were found throughout the country. The River Cam in Cambridge was an open sewer. The crisis triggers massive investment in public sewerage. 

1859 till 1865 Building of London Sewer System - Sir Joseph Bazalgette was the engineer. He transformed urban sanitation. Doulton salt-glazed pipes were used.

1861 Thomas Crapper sets up plumbing business - Thomas Crapper, born a Yorkshire man, sets up his plumbing business in Chelsea, London, at just the right time to take advantage of the forthcoming boom in interest in public health and in particular sewage.

1863 Crapper invents Self Rising Seat - Thomas Crapper had an inventive mind and devised a contraption for use with WC’s - the self rising seat. The idea proved unsuccessful - it could slap the unsuspecting on the bottom!

1872 Metropolis Water Act - The Act required Water Saving Measures to prevent the shocking waste of water throughout London. WCs at this time were fed water using valves. These were notoriously leaky and in some circumstance users would prop the open permanently to ensure their WC’s remained sweet.

1872 Invention of 'Valveless Waste Water Preventer'

1875 Public Health Act - from the Disraeli government, this act required that ”Every local authority shall provide that all drains, water closets, earth closets, privies, ash pits, and cell pools within their district be constructed and kept so as not to be a nuisance or injurious to health”. 

1883 - The Washout WC  Thomas William Twyford introduced the all-ceramic, free-standing, one-piece, washout, pedestal closet with integral trap. 

The UNITAS. The Monument to Excrement 

The first one-piece ceramic pedestal closet Thomas William Twyford designed the first one piece closet which was a vast improvement on previous designs. It was  hygienic and cheap. It was free standing and the entire appliance was fully exposed. “No filth , nor anything causing offensive smells could accumulate or escape detection”. 

It was a “Perfection of Cleanliness”. The toilet also featured a remarkable wooden seat which was hinged so that it could be raised to allow the use of the toilet by gentlemen as a urinal. Vast quantities were manufactured and exported. Installations were made in Buckingham palace.

The WC pan was made from one piece of pottery without the need for a surrounding wooden cabinet. The UNITAS was exported throughout the world. 

1883 Twyfords UNITAS WC 
photo: March 2004

Its elegant, hygienic, all pottery design with no metal parts or wooden enclosure becomes the blueprint for the modern toilet. Mass production makes it affordable to the middle class.

1884 International Health Exhibition - Twyfords “Unitas” featured and becomes a “star” product together with the “India Rubber connection”. Henry Doulton wins 21 medals for his exhibition.

1887 Building of Twyford’s “model” factory at Cliffe Vale, Stoke - The factory was designed around a courtyard so that “every worker could have a window”. Twyfords Hanley and Bucknall factories moved to Cliffe Vale

 THE MODERN ERA     

1891 - Toilet Paper on a Roll Seth Wheeler patents perforated toilet paper on a roll - and crucially, specifies in the patent diagram that the paper should hang "over" the top. The over-vs-under debate officially begins. Sears catalogues previously served a popular dual purpose.

1924 Production of sanitaryware still in Earthenware body - Sanitaryware was still either in the earthenware body or in fireclay. Earthenware was twice fired (just like tableware) in "bottle ovens" and this was an eight day process for first fire and 6 days for second (or glost ) fire.

1930 Twyfords Double Trap Syphonic WC

1959 - 1963 Twyford changes from Earthenware to Vitreous China body - Also mechanical casting and Tunnel ovens make their appearance

1969 - Space-Age Waste Management NASA engineers devise a suction-based waste collection system for the Apollo missions. Astronauts use plastic bags with adhesive rims. Waste management in space remains notoriously difficult, requiring complex vacuum toilet technology on the ISS.

1980 - The Japanese Washlet - TOTO launches the "Washlet" — a toilet seat with a built-in bidet, heated seat, and deodorizer. Japan's high-tech toilet culture explodes; within decades, smart toilets with sensors, music, automatic lids, and health-monitoring features become commonplace in Japanese homes.

2001 - Twyfords VIP  

The Versatile Interactive Pan. 

Its versatility comes from the fact that the china toilet bowl which, being mounted on a mechanism, can be made to rise or fall to a position which suits the preference of the user. No longer is the user committed to using a toilet at a height that was laid down 150 years ago. With the VIP, the user chooses!

The bowl may be at low level for a child. Or with its seat moved automatically away, it can be used in squatting mode. It may be at “normal” height for “normal” people and even then may be adjusted millimeter by millimeter to suit a “vertically challenged” person.

Then at the push of a button, it may be used at the Lady P height. Or for  gentlemen, at gentleman’s urinal height. And at this height, it may double up as a convenient sick bowl!

So the push button control allows the user to adjust the height of the bowl. That’s the versatility of the machine! But the deluxe version of the VIP is even better with voice activation. Another few thousand dollars buys you a device that can recognise your voice and will adjust to your preferred height without the need to touch a grubby button on the wall.

The interactivity is, well, something else. This interactive marvel is connected to the Internet! Deep in the heart of the VIP is a medical sensor. Once you have made your liquid deposit, the machine will have a good look at it and instantly give you a printed analysis of your condition. If you were, say, diabetic, the machine would give you a reading of your blood sugar level. It might tell you if you were pregnant (if you were female - obviously). But more importantly, it would use the connection to the Internet to send the reading to your local clinic for its records. In this way the VIP is a true healthcare toilet. You have no need to visit your clinic. And the doctor or nurse doesn’t need to visit you. Think of the cost savings!

Alternatively, let’s imagine your VIP had analysed your stools. The VIP may decide that your metabolism is not quite in the state that it should be. It may decide that your bowels are not in tip-top condition. Perhaps not enough roughage. If this was the case it would immediately send an e-mail order to your local grocery store, which would quickly send a van to you loaded to the brim with red beans, kidney beans, baked beans, half baked beans, oats, muesli, bran flakes, corn flakes, almond flakes, fruit, coconuts, lentils, linseed, and noodles. Perhaps.

Will it ever catch on? Will it ever be manufactured? Well no, it was never manufactured. But a decade later.... see below

2007 – Toilet reinvented - Twyford's RIMLESS pan

2013 - UN World Toilet Day The United Nations officially designates November 19th as World Toilet Day, recognising that 3.5 billion people still lack access to safe sanitation. The toilet is framed not as a luxury but as a fundamental human right and health necessity.

2015 to today - The Smart & Self-Cleaning Toilet Modern smart toilets analyse urine for health biomarkers, auto-flush, self-clean with UV light or electrolysed water, and connect to smartphones.