Why is a "Belfast sink" so called? Was it invented in Belfast? Was it named after some bloke called Belfast? Was it just very common in Belfast? I for one have always wondered why and with The Kitchen Yard being based near Belfast and me living on the outskirts of Belfast it's been something I have always wondered about. So I did a bit of delving in and this is what I found.
If you are looking for a new sink, you may be surprised by the vast assortment of designs and styles which are on offer to you. Modern sinks can often have distinctive characteristics, and you will find a plethora of designs which include waste disposals, drainers, and double bowl options.
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Sinks are usually modelled from clay or fashioned from stainless steel, and many are guaranteed to last a lifetime. This means that when you select a new sink, you will want to select a design which will be practical for many years to come.
As you browse through the available sink ranges, it won’t be long before you encounter three very similar ceramic sinks, which all have different names.
The Butler, Belfast, and French Farmhouse sinks are usually large, single bowl designs (although other options are available), and you may find yourself wondering why they have such different names.
The answer lies several centuries ago, back to a time when many households had butlers, who in turn had their own pantry, complete with sink. In the late 17th century, when the ceramic sink was increasing in popularity, many cities had a sanitation officer who was responsible for controlling water consumption. Each city had its own particular set of regulations regarding the size of sink that could be installed. The water supply in Belfast was much more plentiful than that in many UK cities, such as London, whose water needed to be drawn from deep wells.
Consequently, London Butler sinks were often shallower and designed without a weir overflow to try to encourage people to conserve water, while those made in Belfast came complete with an overflow weir. So common was this design to the Northern Irish Capital, that eventually the Belfast Butler sink became known as simply the Belfast sink.
A Belfast sink is a very destinct brand of Butler sink, incorporating the wier overflow system to allow water to flow out of the bowl.
The term 'Butler Sink' is a more generic term which is used to describe basically any traditional ceramic sink- typically with a good 3-4cm wall thickness.
Butler Sinks were traditionally located in a butler's pantry - a utility room in a large house.
The room is used by the butler and other domestic staff; it is called a butler's pantry even in households where there is no butler.
What is the difference between a butler sink and a belfast sink?
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.
A Brief History
Some suggest that the London sink pattern, which was normally shallower and without an overflow, was used by butlers in London where water was in short supply, but I’ve found there is little evidence to support this claim. Taking water from the Thames meant there was plenty, not that you’d probably want to drink it back then.
The later half of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century saw a huge expansion in the supply of piped water throughout London. To cope with the increase in sewage, from 1815 onwards, properties were allowed to connect their cesspools and household drainage directly into the sewage system that emptied into the Thames. By 1848, the problem of ineffective or unemptied cesspools became so critical that connection to the main system became mandatory.
Water closets also placed an even greater strain on London’s sewage system after they were popularised by the Great Exhibition in 1851. According to Bill Bryson’s "At Home", by the mid 1850s around two hundred thousand flush toilets were in use in London. The situation came to a head in 1858 with the Great Stink, a particularly warm summer when even Parliament couldn’t stand to be in session next to the Thames. In addition, cholera outbreaks with high mortality rates were happening with alarming regularity. Suspicion was already falling on the way sewage was handled when John Snow, a British physician, confirmed his theory by removing the handle of the water pump at Broad Street, stopping a cholera outbreak almost overnight.
However, the Belfast butler’s sink did become very popular as a sink pattern and by the 1920s it was even included in housing specifications. This is partly because it’s deep size made it very practical for washing clothes in, as well as the baby, but also because the open weir overflow could be easily cleaned with a brush, ensuring germs couldn’t build up undetected as they had done so in the past.
How are they made?
Traditionally, both Belfast and Butler sinks have been manufactured from fireclay, a robust clay which is resistant to extremes of temperature. Naturally occurring fireclay is commonly obtained from areas around coal mines, however, it can also be created by adding crushed pre-fired ceramic to finer clay. Creating a perfect fireclay sink is, by necessity, a long, drawn-out process. First, clay is mixed with water to create a treacle-like consistency, and the resulting liquid is poured into a two piece plaster mould. This mould is then left for a period of time to allow the clay to partially dry out. When the mould is opened, the clay is still very wet, and any imperfections are smoothed out by using a damp sponge. The sink is then taken to the ‘greenhouse’, a large hot room which is kept at a consistent temperature, to dry further. Once the clay has dried sufficiently, the sinks are coated, first with a white vitreous china called ‘engobe’ which provides a base for the glaze, and then with a mixture of finely ground glass, water and a cellulose binder. Finally, the sinks travel on trolleys through long tunnel kilns which are heated to 1300oF. This production process cannot be rushed, and the methods used today have altered little over the last 100 years. Many firms, such as Shaws of Darwen take great pride in the skills utilised by their Master Craftsmen when creating their sinks, and operate rigorous training programmes to ensure that the sinks produced are of the highest quality. To become a Master Craftsman can take around 10 years.
The French Farmhouse sink is similar in style to the Butler sink, however, in France, the natural clay used to make ceramic sinks is much more refined than that of the UK. This means that French Farmhouse sinks tend to have much thinner walls, and are more elegantly constructed than their British counterparts. Though the French Farmhouse sink does not appear as robust as either the Butler or Belfast sink, the superb production methods employed during its manufacture make it a strong and durable option. Some French manufacturers have utilised the elegance of the Farmhouse sink to their advantage. Chambord, for example, have a stunning range which includes the Bleu de Sevres line. The Bleu de Sevres sinks are manufactured in a rich, mottled blue which combines echoes of the renaissance with a contemporary twist. The company also produce pretty patterned sinks which look stunning in a country kitchen.
Whichever design you eventually decide to invest in, you can be certain that if you choose a Butler, Belfast or Farmhouse sink you are investing in a product which has proven its worth for generations, and will continue to do so in the years to come.
Traditionally these are the differences but nowadays all types of Butler sink will probably have overflows. There is also the less chunky styled french farmhouse sink which can be referred to as a butler sink.
Nowadays, there isn’t a clear definition between the size of London and Belfast butlers, but both are deeper than traditional sinks.
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Belfast sinks today
Cast your mind back a while and you may remember that you had one of these types of sinks a long time ago as a child growing up in the family home. Depending on your age, you may not remember this:-) Some people could not wait to get rid of these sinks as the early ones were a bit of an eye sore and often were just attached to pipes next to a wall.
With today’s modern fitted kitchens and granite worktops & quartz worktops, they now fit in beautifully with any classic kitchen design that you choose. The beauty of a Belfast sink is that they are easy to clean, accommodate big bowls as well as all the Sunday lunch pots and pans that you can chuck at it!
We at The Kitchen Yard hand-build our own Kitchen Units and this includes the Belfast Sink Unit as shown above.
To avail of this and any of our other Hand-Built Kitchen Unit Styles contact us at:
