ANATOMY OF A ROOM: THOMAS CRAPPER

This historic brand, led by its visionary founder, changed our homes for good

- Miriam Methuen-Jones

Established in 1861, and with four Royal Warrants to its name, there’s no disputing that Thomas Crapper is a renowned bathroom company with a reputation for quality. But let’s set the record straight right from the start: the founder, Mr Crapper himself, did not invent the toilet. Nor is it thanks to his name that we have the word ‘crap’. I sat down with current MD Paul Dwyer to sort the fact from the fiction.

“I suspect the rumour [of Crapper inventing the toilet] was down to some great marketing from Thomas himself,” chuckles Dwyer. “But he was instrumental in making the flushing toilet more accessible to customers, thanks to opening the world’s first bathroom showroom in 1870.”

With huge plate-glass windows to show off the stock, Crapper’s showroom was a daring move. This was the late 1800s, and any mention of bodily functions was strictly forbidden in polite society. To open a showroom that celebrated toilets – and which offered potential customers a plumbed-in, ‘try before you buy’, experience – was both audacious and genius.