Genuine AoS bathing facilities!

[anteros_lmc]

Carronade as featured on HMS Victory

I have had builders in for the last two weeks. They have gone now and in their place I have a shiny new bathroom complete with genuine Age of Sail bathing facility! Sadly not a deck shower complete with nekkid Lieutenant Hornblower but a bath made by the Carron Company. Y'know, the company who made the carronades.

The Carron Company iron foundry was established in Falkirk on the banks of the River Carron in 1759. By 1814, thanks to lucrative munitions contracts from the British Army and Navy, as well as the armed forces of many other nations, it grew to become the largest ironworks in Europe, employing over 2000 workers. When the bottom fell out of the market for light weight short range guns towards the end of the 19th century the company diversified into making cast iron baths, decorative ironwork, post boxes and, eventually, those iconic red telephone boxes. In the 1960's the Carron Company started manufacturing stainless steel products and in the 1980's developed acrylic baths.

Telephone box as featured in Local Hero

Sadly in the early eighties the company went into receivership but it was bought out and still trades from Falkirk under the name Carron Phoenix. The company appears to be proud of it's 18th century heritage and the unique roll it played in decisive historical events such as the Battle of Trafalgar and there is a rather entertaining little history page on the Carron Bathrooms website which lists the company history as follows:

1759 - Carron Company founded in the same year as poet Robert Burns was born.
1815 - Carronade Cannons critical to Nelsons' success at The Battle Of Trafalgar.
1888 - Carron products were displayed at the International Exhibition.
1965 - First acrylic bath manufactured.

It rather amuses me that there there is no explanation as to how they went from making cannons to baths, as if it was the most natural thing in the world! I think it's rather cool that this company has survived for over 250 years and I can confirm that they make really rather swanky baths!

Carronite bath as featured at Chez Anteros ;)

Comments

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

So exciting to have a new tub. And the history of Carron is so appropriate for Chez Anteros. You will have to have long soaks, and try out your best pirate songs!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Tbh it was the builder that recommended that we use this supplier, but as soon as we realised that it actually was the genuine Carron Company, the one that made the carronades, there was no stopping us!

It's quite a large bath so there is plenty of room for several pirates all singing and drinking mojitos while playing with their rubber ducks.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Be careful with that blender on the edge of the tub!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Hmmm....didn't we establish that pirates mixed their mojitos vigorously and by hand? Perhaps we could check with essayel, maybe there is a blender in her pirate exhibition!

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Oh. I think you were right. By hand, while singing.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Maybe they use a hand blender?



Oh Lordy, I think I had better call it a night before this degenerates any further ;)

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Oh, i have that kind of hand blender, and I love it. But I bet the pirates have the old kind that looks like a balloon whisk with a crank!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Kinda like this?

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Nice tub though it is too funny that it was made by Carron Ironworks.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

It is nice isn't it?! Now all I need to do is accessorise it with a lieutenant and a gun crew XD

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

That is a first rate bath!
Lol! I see what you did there XD

Although tbh if any lieutenants attempt to board that bath while I'm in it, repelling them will be the last thing on my mind ;)

[katriona-s.livejournal.com]

It looks very smart, I envy you! :)
And it must be nice to use the facilities which have such background.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

That is the bath I have but sadly those are not my windows! I'll try an take a pic of my own one in situ once I've cleaned up all the plaster dust the builder has left behind!

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're such a girl after my own heart. This fills me with joy!

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Lol! It has to be said, we do seem to share a certain daft streak :D I'll fill me with joy too once I clean up all the mess and fill it with water!

[vespican.livejournal.com]

The carronades aboard VICTORY were real monsters...68 pounders, I believe.
That was the carronade's greatest asset, it's relatively light weight. A carronade firing a particular weight of shot weighed less than half as much as a traditional gun firing the same weight shot. That's why frigates which had been equipped with 6 or 9 pounders on the quarterdeck or fo'scle could later install 24, 32, or even 42 pounder carronades.
Gosh, I'm getting techical again. Enjoy the tub!
Dave

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

You're spot on. That is indeed one of Victory's 68 lbs carronades. The fire power of those things must have been devastating over a short range. No wonder they were known as smashers.

Gosh, I'm getting techical again.
Now if you could tell me the weight of the bath tub I'd be really impressed! XD

[vespican.livejournal.com]

Given enough data, I probably could! But if it is indeed made of cast iron, which I would suppose it is, coming from CARRON, I'd simply say it is heavy... unlike the fiberglass unit we installed a couple of years ago.
Dave

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

The bath is actually made of Carronite which is a heavy reinforced acrylic patented by the company. I think it's heavier than the steel bath I had in my old place and it feels a lot more solid! Should be perfect for sailing my schooner and daughter's pirate ship in ;)

[stevie-carroll.livejournal.com]

That's cool.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Hehe! I thought so :)