Our Story
TO CREATE SOMETHING TRULY ORIGINAL, YOU MUST FIRST FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PAST
Our story began many years ago from a passion to sell, restore and maintain antique baths and sanitary ware. The desire to preserve the beauty of these exquisite antiques led us to today’s beautiful original designs, staying true to the methods used from times past, whilst still integrating perfectly with modern aesthetics.
Today, a vast collection of timeless bathroom pieces make up our collection, driven by the values of unique craftsmanship, superior quality and a genuine care for personal service.
Like so many businesses the birth of Catchpole & Rye came about by accident. A cottage we purchased in 1990 featured on old claw foot tub – in the kitchen! A board on top of this was the kitchen worktop! The restoration of this bathtub lead me on a merry journey through the salvage yards of Kent and thus ensued a passion for antique sanitary ware and it’s manufacture. I quickly realised there was a forgotten heritage within Britain and set about understanding the origin of the these plumbing products and how they were made. Over the years I have studied original concepts, their functionality and methods of manufacture and now endeavour to replicate these with due respect to the great innovators of the 1800’s.
Tony O’Donnell, Managing Director
