Cast iron has been the material of choice for guttering systems since Victorian times. Elegant and strong, and when correctly maintained, lasts for many years; if in doubt, take a look at the numerous original Victorian installations in use on many old buildings today. It’s still the best material to enhance a period style home due to its sheer good looks, strength and resilience. In fact, on many listed buildings, cast iron guttering is often a stipulation.

 During the Industrial Revolution, the great foundries were able to offer a vast range of decorative patterns. With many of these gutters now reaching the end of their useful life and needing replacing, we are still able to recreate these designs today. Using traditional sand-casting techniques and pattern methods, our new gutters should last as long as the originals. 

We stock a huge range of gutter styles to suit a period property, with sizes ranging from 3″ to over 12″ width. We also hold patterns for many non-standard gutters including ornamental styles. In most cases, we can make new gutters to match original designs. We can replicate almost anything and regularly make gutters with unique or unusual features. We usually ask for a customer’s sample but can also work from drawings. Some of our recent designs include the Maresfield pattern, the delicate finish of Walter McFarlane’s No.58 pattern, the image at the top is a gutter design replicated for churches designed by the architect Augustus Pugin. Contact us to find out more about our stock guttering range and bespoke design service.

MacFarlane No.58

Maresfield

A soil pipe conveys sewage or wastewater from a toilet or sink to a soil drain or sewer. They are easy to spot, running vertically from above the highest window to the underground drainage system. The soil pipe, also known as a soil and vent pipe, has a wider diameter than a waste pipe (which only carries water) so it can carry solid waste and is vented to reduce odour. 

Vented soil pipes help to avoid a build-up of obnoxious smells by releasing odour into the atmosphere through the vents, at the same time oxygen enters the system to remove gases and prevent anaerobic decomposition. 

Traditionally, soil pipes were made from cast iron, modern pipes are often made from plastic but using cast iron gives the advantage of strength and a much longer lifespan. We offer a huge range of soil pipe fittings suitable for virtually any layout on a building. As well as standard items, we can produce fittings that bend and branch as required, in any position, whilst connecting to other sizes of soil pipe. We can also adapt the length to reduce the number of connections, making it easier to pass through a wall so that any new system can be positioned in the best way to suit a building’s structure and aesthetic. 

Contact us to find out more. 

Discover more about the J & JW Longbottom cast iron rainwater product range 

Although architects and builders are often required to provide technical details and requirements on rainwater goods, the Longbottom team are keen to meet and talk directly with the property owners who will be using their products. The Longbottom range is very wide with a lot of choice and options available, particularly for ornamental detail on items like hopper heads. 

We pride ourselves on being approachable, taking the time to advise on the cast iron options available and how they will work on a specific property. We attend numerous trade events throughout the year, all over the UK, including homebuilding, renovating and listed property shows. We bring many of our products to the stand, meaning visitors are able to see and touch the cast iron goods rather than just looking at a photograph in a brochure. It’s also the perfect opportunity to ask any questions and discuss your requirements.

We’ll be attending the Home Building and Renovating Show at the following locations in 2023:

                                                                        NEC Birmingham, 23 to 26 March 

                                                                         Sandown Park Racecourse, Surrey, 1 to 2 July 

                                                                         EXCEL, London, 22 to 24 September 

                                                                         Harrogate Convention Centre, 3 to 5 November 

To find out more, click here:  https://www.homebuildingshow.co.uk/ 

At our works in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, we carry stocks of most of our huge range. If you are finding it difficult to make a decision, a visit to the foundry might be beneficial to see the products up close, discuss requirements and obtain advice from the Longbottom team. 

As a starting point, our full catalogue containing over 500 items is available online, or if you prefer, we can send a printed copy in the post. 

J & JW Longbottom has always had sustainability at the heart of its business, long before it became the modern buzzword for everyone to strive to. Since the company was formed in the 1870s, manufacturing cast iron at our foundry in West Yorkshire, recycled material has gone back into the process. Cast iron is an incredibly sustainable metal which can be infinitely recycled, you can’t get any better than that!  

Manufacturing cast iron has a significantly lower environmental impact compared to aluminium and steel. Cast iron has a high carbon content and is the closest metal to iron ore mined from the earth and needs minimal processing to create the finished product. Iron is the fourth most abundant, naturally occurring element in the earth’s crust.  

Although one of the oldest materials in engineering, it now has a prominent place in the modern world with the focus on protecting the environment from global warming. Legendary for its long life and durability, the proof is still attached to Victorian buildings with rainwater and soil drainage features adorning buildings well over a hundred years later. Properly maintained cast iron products will last the lifetime of a building and when a building needs to be demolished, the cast iron can be used again for the same purpose 

Only 10 to 15% of the material in our castings is pig iron (crude iron), the rest consists of scrap including old rainwater goods, offcuts from fabrication work and any failed castings that don’t meet our rigorous quality control standards. The metal is heated using an electric induction furnace which offers many benefits from using a traditional coke-fired furnace, including improved efficiency and not polluting the environment. Using an electric furnace generates less dust, fumes and Co2 emissions and heats rapidly, reducing costs and making the entire process more efficient. 

We retain all the casting patterns to use again, so there is little waste involved. We hold the widest range of casting patterns in the industry. Many are original meaning we can offer matches for existing castings such as gutters, without the need to make a new pattern. 

Repairing

Cast iron for drainage purposes on your period property has successfully stood the test of time but inaccessible areas of the drainage system can be difficult to maintain. Over the years castings may fail due to cracks appearing behind hoppers and fixings and in grooved fittings, allowing water to corrode the metal.  

With over 100 years’ experience to our name, we’ve seen just about every way cast iron can buckle under the elements including collapsed drains, leaking pipes and corroded hoppers. External signs of damage can include saturation or staining of masonry behind or beneath the ironwork, plant or algae growth on the building, local failure of render or wet rot in external joinery. Internally, damp particles can appear on walls and ceilings or there may be a musty odour caused by dampness in the room. 

Many rainwater drainage castings and gutters do not need to be replaced but can be repaired using traditional methods at our foundry in Holmfirth, Yorkshire, where we have been perfecting the art of manufacturing cast iron rainwater products since 1919. Our expert engineers can diagnose and repair these types of issues, replacing a missing piece of casting or welding a new section. We can replace ornate pieces by taking a cast of the design and replicating it through our professional and robust service. 

In many cases this provides a cost-effective alternative to the replacement of items of architectural interest, whilst maintaining the period features and aesthetic of your home. Our clients have included the Royal palaces of Windsor and Kensington and Highgrove House, the private residence of Their Royal Highnesses King Charles lll and The Queen Consort. 

As a family run business, we place immense value on providing an excellent service to our customers. Our ability to manufacture straight away means we can deliver repairs quickly and efficiently. Once repaired, many years of minimal maintenance and trouble-free use will follow. 

If you’d like to know more about our cast iron rainwater repair service, get in touch 

The ultimate guide to pipe fixing methods 

A cast iron rainwater pipe is one of the most recognisable features of a period property. After centuries of battling the elements, not to mention serving its primary purpose, it’s easy to see why these pipes can face a little wear and tear. 

Thankfully, at J and JW Longbottom, we’ve been perfecting the art of manufacturing cast iron rainwater products since 1919. Everything is produced on-site at our foundry in Holmfirth, Huddersfield. With more than 100 years’ experience behind us, we’ve also seen just about every way in which a cast iron pipe can buckle under the elements. 

This experience has taught us that there are just as many ways to fix cast iron pipes as there are to break them. Here are some of our tried and tested methods. 

Ears 

Ears are the most common type of pipe fixing, either bolt-on or cast-on. They are usually of a plain and functional appearance although it is possible to have ornamental ears fitted to a pipe. It is not uncommon to fit a spacer behind the ears to allow space behind the pipe for redecoration. Ears can be supplied for either flat or corner fixing. 

Earbands 

Unlike ears, Earbands are separate castings to the pipe and fit around the pipe socket to hold the pipe back to the wall. The ear ends can be plain or ornamental. This method of fixing is more popular in Scotland than the ears method described above. Again, Earbands can be for flat or corner fixing although spacers such as bobbins do not work with Earbands without further provision. The inclusion of ornamental Earbands can greatly enhance the appearance of a pipe system. 

Holderbats 

A holderbat is a two-piece bracket which supports pipes around the collar and fastens them to a wall from a single point. They can be supplied for building into a wall or for screwing to it. 

Holdfast 

A holdfast is a u-shaped bracket that is driven into the wall and sits round the pipe socket. These are commonly used in Scotland. 

Other methods 

There are many other proprietary methods of fixing pipes to walls such as Sloan and Davidson’s Simplex Ear Plate or the socket snug and bracket system. Many of these have been replicated in our foundry and can be offered where required. 

Speak to J and JW Longbottom about fixing your pipes today 

However you wish to fix your cast iron pipe, you’ll want to do so in a way that preserves your home’s natural aesthetic, and the safety of the pipe. We have a comprehensive selection of fittings to help you get the job done, all made using traditional methods at our foundry in Yorkshire.  

Get in touch to find out more. 

Curved gutters and bespoke grating: it’s not one-size-fits-all!

The general view of a cast iron gutter or grating is a standard design: simple, straight gutters or standard manhole covers and gulley grates.

With the rise in popularity of Cast Iron during the Industrial Revolution, the ‘giant’ foundries of the time were able to offer a vast range of decorative patterns. Many of these products are reaching the end of their life now but thankfully we are still able to replicate those designs in our own foundry today. Indeed, our own, already large pattern range continues to grow.

The rise in curved gutters

The curved roof offers not only visual appeal but a space-saving, sustainable alternative. As such, we’ve seen an increase in requests for curved or ‘radiused’ gutters.

Manufacturing and installing these gutters are not for the faint-hearted. When not installed by professionals, they have the propensity to leak.

Thankfully, our robust processes ensure we have the best products available. At J & JW Longbottom, we use a versatile sand-casting process to perfect these unusual shapes.

How it works

Curved gutters can be found all over the UK, but they are common in Scotland, where many buildings have round towers or turrets. Of course, these gutters may also appear on bay windows, rather than the traditional square or octagonal shape.

The majority of radius gutters follow an external curve, though we also produce internally curved ones. This follows a completely custom-made process: no two radii are the same, so we start with a template.

This is usually a piece of wood, at least 900mm long, cut to the curve of the building. We can also use additional templates to join curved gutters to straight angles. These templates help us make a metal pattern before going through the same manufacturing process as straight gutters.

While standard cast iron gutter lengths are 1.8m (6ft), curved gutters are made in 900mm (3ft) lengths.

Adding personality to cast iron gratings

While curved gutters offer aesthetic value, gratings can be just as easy on the eye. We manufacture gratings in cast iron to various thicknesses, ideal for transporting from pedestrians to heavy vehicles.

The aesthetic doesn’t limit their use either – they can function indoors and outdoors, making attractive additions to homes and gardens.

When it comes to patterning, customers have three choices:

• To have an existing pattern replicated
• To choose a pattern from our catalogue
• To have a bespoke design drawn up.

The result is a stunning plain or ornamental grating to suit your tastes. Just as curved gutters require a little more technical knowledge, our gratings can be perfected through technical drawings.

If you’d like to know more about our cast iron rainwater goods, get in touch.