The Timeless Charm of the Traditional Butler Sink

There are many styles of sinks available nowadays, with plenty of designs and colours. Choosing a sink can be just as difficult as finding the right paint colour for the room. Keeping it nice and simple with a refined look will definitely stand the test of time and look great in any design trend.

Butler/ farmhouse sinks are mostly seen in utility/ boot rooms due to the utilitarian look and feel they are born with. There are many sizes to choose from and can fit in any space and the needs of the homeowner. Smaller sinks can be chosen for washing of hands and a bigger one can be a great place to wash down small dogs or pre-soak clothes.

However, they aren’t just perfect for utility rooms, they are ideal for prep kitchens and more traditional styles in older properties. For example, they can help when clearing away after a large gathering or dinner parties. The dishes can be neatly tucked right into the sink out of sight, rinsed and then loaded straight into the dishwasher, allowing for maximum cleaning away convenience.

A brief history of the butler sink

In Victorian times, Butler sinks were also known as London sinks due to the locality in which they were commonly found. They were made different from Belfast sinks as they did not come fitted with a Weir overflow. London didn’t have an abundant supply of water available like Belfast did. This was because London was further inland along the Thames and had higher costs in obtaining fresh water for its large population than Belfast. To allow for the same provision of water in a bowl, a wider design was developed, which in reality had more practical uses such as, washing a muddy Labrador. This was when the Butler sink was born.

As the years went on by, water supply became less of an issue and kitchens got bigger. Some modern butler sinks are now as deep as Belfast sinks, where Belfast sinks have evolved to be wider with the typical double bowl. The sink is as wide as a Butler and almost as deep as a Belfast with a ceramic partition in the middle.

Shaws of Darwen

We have supplied and fitted many Shaws of Darwen sinks to our client’s homes. They are traditional, beautiful and practical and look wonderful within a kitchen design. In 1897 was where it all began where the vision was to make the finest handcrafted fireclay sinks in the whole of England, and some 120 years on, the vision has come to life worldwide for the reputation of beauty, quality, craftsmanship and sheer practicality of the unique artisan products they design.

Some of our projects with a traditional butler sink

Hadley Wood

Within this gorgeous property in Hadley Wood lies a Shaws of Darwen sink along one length of the U-shaped layout. It’s large in size with a same-sized double bowl. It makes for a great sink area completed with Perrin & Rowe taps and looks a great feature drawing attention to the eye in this fabulous hub of the home. We built our popular classic shaker style around with every last detail being meticulously thought through and specified by the client with their interior designer and us.

The in-frame is complemented by a Georgian style beading surrounding each door and drawer. The doors feature a shallow recessed front panel, while the drawers are flat fronted.

Amongst the spacious utility room in the Hadley Wood project lies a Shaws of Darwen large single bowl butler sink met with Perrin & Rowe taps, a great size to pre-soak clothes and complete other laundry tasks.

It sits lovely in the middle of the two white appliances making it handy for our client to move around and do the laundry, washing those muddy Wellington boots too.

Bishop’s Stortford, Herts

Within this unique green kitchen, a double butler sink lies amongst the classic shaker style in the old post house. Completed with brass hardware taps this makes for a lovely traditional sink area and a great third point to the ‘kitchen triangle’.

Chigwell, Essex

In this beautiful dark L-shaped layout a single ceramic kitchen sink sits beneath the window, making the ideal wet area in this property. Our client can enjoy the outdoors while completing basic chores.

Clayhall, London

In this large open-plan layout and amongst the stunning Carrara style quartz lies a double butler sink that has different-sized sections for each of the different tasks, met with brass hardware. The perfect sink area has been created here.

Golders Green, Barnet

This kitchen has been designed with a high level of detail and finishes emphasising the dark blue on the cabinets. Two ceramic sinks sit opposite each other met with Perrin & Rowe taps in the aged brass finish. The large butler sink to the left allows for the dirty dinner plates to be hidden from view and cleared up later.

High Wych, Herts

Under the sink in this property lies a double bowl ceramic sink by Caple. It looks perfect positioned in amongst the classic shaker style cabinets and completed with no other than luxury taps by Perrin & Rowe.

Cuffley, Herts

An exquisite traditional shaker style kitchen sits in this lovely renovated property in Cuffley. On the main kitchen run lies a Shaws of Darwen ceramic sink combined with Perrin & Rowe deck mounted taps in polished chrome.

Epping, Essex

Our chef-client in Epping had an eye for detail and knows what an efficient working area is. Designing her kitchen with us we made the perfect ‘kitchen triangle’ with a Shaw’s sink and Sub-Zero Wolf appliances. The 900mm Double butler was chosen to perfectly fit into the quartz and other areas of the kitchen space and sits at the bottom of the ‘U’ shaped layout. The sink is met with Perrin & Rowe taps to create a timeless, practical and beautiful design in this stunning traditional home.

Bobbingworth, Essex

Within this Grade II listed property, a complex design was built and laid out to stay within the boundaries. On the longer length of the L- shaped layout lies a single bowl butler sink, that’s deep and built to stand the test of time.

We pride ourselves in supplying the finest quality features. Contact us at Nicholas Bridger Handmade Kitchen Company to design a robust traditional butler sink within your bespoke handmade kitchen – we look forward to hearing from you.