History of the butler sink and belfast sink?
One of the questions we are often asked is, what is the difference between a Belfast sink and a butler sink, and the answer lies in the history of the Belfast sink, and indeed, the history of Belfast.
The Belfast butler sink has what is known as a Weir overflow built into it. Compare this to a London sink which does not have the overflow. The reason behind this is that when the Belfast sink was first produced, Belfast had a plentiful supply of water and wastage was not a problem. At the same time, there was a shortage of water in London, so they were designed in such a way as to minimize any possible wastage.
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Belfast Sink with Wier Overflow |
London Sink with no overflow |
If you have any more information on the history of the Belfast sink, please e-mail us and let us know. If you have other ideas on the history of the belfast sink or the history of the butler sink, we would be happy to add them to our site.
Ian Mawson contacted us recently with his thoughts on the issue. According to Ian "The butler sink was used exclusively by the Butler as it was his job to wash the glass crystal and decanters etc. If these were washed in a Belfast Sink then there was a good chance of breakage. With the sink being lead lined this was minimised."
A big thanks to Ian for this valuable contribution. If you have any other ideas please let us know.
We would be delighted to hear from you!
