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jakkom

Toilets: what's old is new again

jakkom
11 years ago

I love touring older homes and just visited Gillette Castle, in Gillette Castle State Park, East Haddam CT. Actor/playwright William Gillette, now mostly forgotten, was the quintessential Sherlock Holmes at the turn of the century, and many of the identifying characteristics we are all familiar with, were actually invented by Gillette, not by author Arthur Conan Doyle (such as the deerstalker cap, the syringe, the "Elementary, my dear Watson" phrase).

Gillette built his home high on a hill above the Hudson River, over a 5-yr time period 1914-1919. A very big man for his time, his bedroom is surprisingly small, with built-in/hidden storage almost like a ship.

His bathroom is simple: tub, wide stand-along sink - but we were struck by the very modern-looking one-piece toilet! Except for the narrow base and rounded top, you'd never know you were looking at such an early toilet:

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Gillette Castle itself is worth the visit, craggy stone exterior intended to look like a ruin on a hill, with several miles of hiking trails. The deliberately rustic woodwork inside is a masterpiece of craftsmanship:

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Anyway, thought some folks might find it interesting, how surprisingly modern this toilet looked!

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