Why do Victorian/Edwardian terraces commonly have sunken bathrooms?

[senzubeansoup]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the early stages of planning a kitchen extension to the back of my Edwardian mid-terraced house, which will inevitably impact the bathroom above it. The floor of my bathroom is sunken - ie there are two steps down from the door to the bathroom floor.

In the course of my research, I have noticed that this is quite common for bathrooms in Edwardian/Victorian terraced houses. Does anyone know why this is? I understand that these old two up, two down houses had two-storey kitchen/bathroom extensions plugged onto the back of them later on (as is the case with mine), but I don't see why the floors weren't made level.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Koolpc]

People were taller in those days?!

 

[foxhole]

Hello everyone,

I'm in the early stages of planning a kitchen extension to the back of my Edwardian mid-terraced house, which will inevitably impact the bathroom above it. The floor of my bathroom is sunken - ie there are two steps down from the door to the bathroom floor.

In the course of my research, I have noticed that this is quite common for bathrooms in Edwardian/Victorian terraced houses. Does anyone know why this is? I understand that these old two up, two down houses had two-storey kitchen/bathroom extensions plugged onto the back of them later on (as is the case with mine), but I don't see why the floors weren't made level.

Thanks in advance!

Probably due to extra cost involved to bring level .

 

[big-all]

purely a guess
as you go back less weight smaller stepped foundations
also timber spans around half so thinner timbers with upstairs and roof further reducing because off progressive anounts [reductions]added

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Did they even have bathrooms in Victorian/Edwardian days? Surely, they would be later additions?

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Did they even have bathrooms in Victorian/Edwardian days? Surely, they would be later additions?

From his post.....

I understand that these old two up, two down houses had two-storey kitchen/bathroom extensions plugged onto the back of them later on (as is the case with mine)

 

[JohnD]

Did they even have bathrooms in Victorian/Edwardian days?

Some did.

 

[Tigercubrider]

If the OP means what I think he means, it may be due to the roof?
Loads of what were 2 up, 2 downs here have a kitchen that you step down into, and above it is the bathroom which is accessed only through the back bedroom.
You seemed to go down a couple of steps.

I think that it may be an easier way to tie in the roof to the original?

 

[JohnD]

In some cases the back addition has a concrete or flagstone floor laid on the ground.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I think that it may be an easier way to tie in the roof to the original

In some cases the back addition has a concrete or flagstone floor laid on the ground.

I think it's a combination of factors.
Stone flags in the scullery and a suspended floor for the living rooms, changing ground levels and the easiest way to tie in the roof, etc.

Nearly every rear extension roof in my terrace is a continuation from the main...

 

[cdbe]

Good question. My outrigger kitchen/bathroom (1889) was level, quarry tiles on earth with adjacent rooms suspended timber. My plot was level but others on the street where the plots sloped had steps down.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Probably due to extra cost involved to bring level .

Yea this, it cost the earth (arf) to get rid of unwanted spoil nowadays, it would have cost even more back in the day.

 

[Odds]

Would they make a bathroom lower than the next room lower to avoid water flowing through the house if there's any water spill from a bath or sink, or even a leak?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Would they make a bathroom lower than the next room lower to avoid water flowing through the house if there's any water spill from a bath or sink, or even a leak?

Although there wouldn't originally have been a 'bathroom' in a small Victorian terrace, you reminded me that there was a huge impact to the design of terraces due to the Public health act 1875 and the building act 1878.
This led to sanitary improvements, access to a Privy/WC (inside or out), running water, window sizes for ventilation etc, etc.
The terraces that were built after this time were known as "byelaw terraces".
This is worth a read...

Byelaw terraced house - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

So as with today's house builders, the design of the typical Victorian terrace, may be purely down to conforming to regulations at least cost to themselves!

 

[RandomGrinch]

...and with the change in Victorian house design, of having stairs perpendicular to the street; the half landing would make a very low ceiling in my kitchen if it wasn't sunken!