Afraid to use the flushing toilet...
Milestones in the art of plumbing then began for the privileged few. In the late 1500’s, Queen Elizabeth 1 was presented with the first flush toilet, designed by her Godson, John Harington. Sources close to the Queen revealed that although enthusiastic about the flushing toilet, the queen was afraid to use it! In 1664 King Louis XIV of France ordered the construction of plumbing lines for the palace at Versailles. Small steps in sanitation and plumbing, yes, but not for the general public.
It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that scientists found connections between disease and contaminated water. Sanitation is said to be the most important medical advance since 1840. That’s where we pick up in our next installment – public sewers and plumbing in modern times, including Wavin of course - bringing the art and science of plumbing into the 21st century!
Check out part I and II
Make sure to also check out part I and II of our series about the history of plumbing! Part I was showing us the earliest signs of plumbing and sewer. In part II we looked at plumbing and drainage in the Roman Empire.