A celebrated collection of 19th and early 20th century sanitary wares is to be sold.
The array of ornate toilet pans, wash basins and bathtubs, which took nearly 40 years to assemble, was formed as a private museum for the firm Thomas Crapper & Co.
Dealer association Salvo is supporting the sale and offers of over £300,000 are now being sought.
More than 1200 items are on offer from Simon Kirby, an acknowledged expert in the history of the ‘smallest room’ who has been collecting since the 1980s. In 1999 he bought the business Thomas Crapper & Co, that had effectively lain dormant since the 1960s, and relaunched its product line.
Having sold the firm Thomas Crapper & Co in 2016, Kirby says: “I no longer run a Victorian sanitaryware company, so I cannot justify keeping the collection. It is time for it to be explored and enjoyed by the public.”