Rain gutters are an essential for any building. But, how did they come about? How have they become commonplace nowadays? We’ve rounded up a brief history of rain gutters to help you find out!
It is believed that rain gutters could be approximately 2000 years old. Their roots are considered to have begun between around 43AD – 410AD, when the Romans were occupying Great Britain. It would seem that the Romans introduced the concept of rain collection to Britons, as they knew water collectors could direct rain flow – not only protecting buildings from water damage, but also recycling the rain into drinkable water.
The Romans’ revelations even extended into storing rainwater in cisterns, to be used for cooking and washing. Their knowledge and understanding of rainwater collection was celebrated through the naming of the Roman goddess Cloacina, the Goddess of ‘Cloaca Maxima’ (the main guttering system of Rome).
Unfortunately for Britons, when the Roman invasion ended in 410 AD, the Romans left to defend their country (which was under attack at the time), and with them left the concept of rain gutters. This was until the Norman invasion during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
With the Normans came advanced building skills, as well as the re-introduction of rain gutters.
One of the most famed first uses of rain guttering dates back to 1078, when rain gutters (made using lead, which was expensive at the time) were used to manage rain flow for the Tower of London. With this regal, now Grade I listed building marking the beginning of how far rain gutters had come since Britain’s disregarding of the Romans belief in the system, rain gutters were mostly seen amongst grander buildings at the time.
Since the Tower of London sparked the evolution of rain gutters, it seemed that downpipes were next on the agenda for the king of England at the time – Henry III. The first recorded use of a downpipe was again for the Tower of London, to protect the building’s newly whitewashed walls.
Jumping ahead to 1539, while Henry VIII was ruling Britain, after his Dissolution of Monasteries, the once expensive lead became much more commonplace. Its most desirable properties included weather and water-resistance – both ideal for rain gutter systems.
Lead rain gutters soon began spreading across many homes and smaller buildings in Britain. The system the Romans had a strong belief in back in 43AD had become much more accepted across the British population – so much so that people began implementing their family crests on their gutters and even lead gargoyles!
Along came the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840), and with it came newer, more innovative ways to manufacture. Using a smokeless, solid fuel source, known as ‘Coke’, manufacturers could produce cast iron in bigger quantities for a much lower cost.
Cast iron gutters became the bread-and-butter of 19th century buildings and proved to become much more popular than their lead competitors.
Skipping ahead to the 20th century, as World War II (1939-1945) took over the globe, rations across several day-to-day essentials became unfortunately common. One of the items this affected was gutter materials. In order to alleviate this, plastics were introduced.
Due to plastic’s accessibility and low cost, plastic rain gutters overtook their cast iron competitors going into the post-war era.
However, soon came along a superior, eco-friendly alternative to all of the aforementioned materials – aluminium. Aluminium rain gutters arrived in the UK during the 1980s, when we were one of the first to notice its potential.
The person who was instrumental in the introduction of aluminium gutters to the UK was Jerry Willock, whose innovation answered to the strong demand for low-maintenance property solutions at the time. He was the first supplier of seamless aluminium gutters in Manchester and the North West, and has now become a leading authority in rainwater goods/systems in the UK, as well as the Republic of Ireland.
We are proud to continue to operate from Willock’s company base in Hyde, Greater Manchester.
At InterCounty Rainwater, we offer a wide range of aluminium rainwater drainage solutions, as well as stylish architectural aluminium.
No matter the style, shape, size, or even colour – there is something for everyone at InterCounty!
If you’d like to find out more about our reliable and sustainable aluminium guttering systems, get in touch with us to discuss your project requirements today. Our friendly and knowledgeable team are always happy to help, simply give us a call on 0161 768 5282 or email us at sales@intercountyseamless.co.uk. Or, if you prefer, visit our website to fill in the contact form with your details and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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