Early plumbing systems for a bath have been documented as far back as far as 3300 BC with the finding of copper water pipes underneath a palace in the Indus Valley Civilization of ancient India. The Roman Empire of over 2000 years ago was famous for its love of bathing. Around 500BC all Roman citizens were encouraged to visit the many public baths on a daily basis. The Romans used marble for the bath tubs with bronze and lead for the pipes, they also created a very complex sewage system for sanitation. In fact the Romans set the bar high for personal hygiene. Bathing was still very popular until shortly after the Renaissance, when it was replaced by the heavy use of sweat bathing and perfume, because it was thought at the time that water may carry disease and infections into the body through the skin.
Cast iron has been used in the manufacture of baths for hundreds of years. A cast iron bath was once very common in the bathroom of a home before being replaced over time by man-made materials. Having a cast iron bath is now very much sought after in bathrooms of home-owners trying to create a contemporary home. Cast iron baths are the original roll top bath, named because of the way the top of the bath curves over. They are similar to a steel bath because they are both immensely strong and very rigid, both are coated with porcelain enamel, and both are very easy to clean and have a long life. The bath is cast from iron in a mould, then after forming the bath shape it is chemically cleaned, this ensures the surface is spotless before applying the enamel coat. A porcelain enamel coating will then be sprayed onto the bath and the entire bath is then fired in a large kiln to give a very strong chemical bond between the enamel and the cast iron.
The bath will not need a cradle or a frame as its strength will allow feet to be cast or bolted onto the body of the iron bath. The feet of the cast iron bath are not normally adjustable because the bath itself is extremely heavy. Because of this, it is important that a cast iron bath is only put on a very solid and level floor. It is very important that checks are made to make sure the floor is strong enough, or the bath may end up in the living room and a claim on the cheap home insurance policy ensues. The clawed foot is one of the most popular types of foot for a cast iron bath. A cast iron bath that has clawed feet is not normally enclosed and is often featured in the middle of the room. This allows the householder to apply some decoration on the underside of the bath and it is possible to get some very attractive designs to highlight the clawed foot bath.
