As pias da estação de Torrinha, Município
de Torrinha, SP
A mensagem abaixo, em inglês, foi enviada
pela Twyford Bathrooms em março de 2006 a Julio Cesar de Paiva, que os
contatou para saber sobre a pia "descoberta" em Torrinha alguns dias
antes e fotografada por ele.
"Thank you very much for sending us the pictures of the old washbasin.
It was extremely interesting to see this very old washbasin. I think it may
be the oldest we have seen still in use.
Terry Woolliscroft
Twyford Bathrooms, Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 2DF
Web: www.twyfordbathrooms.com"
Rare toilet catalogue comes home January 2004 - RARE TOILET CATALOGUE COMES
HOME
A rare and possibly priceless antique document has been returned to its roots
in The Potteries after over 100 years - lost in shed in Brazil. "Twyford's 20th
Century Catalogue" of toilets, washbasins, bidets and baths made in Stoke has
finally been returned home to the Twyford Bathrooms factory. It was discovered
in the 1970s by a Brazilian Naval officer who had been given the task of clearing
and refurbishing an old naval shipyard in Rio de Janeiro. Carlos Franca discovered
the gold printed catalogue amongst the accumulated rubbish in an old shipyard
building. As an engineer and an architect Carlos was the ideal candidate for
refurbishing the shipyard and when he stumbled across the catalogue he instinctively
knew that he had found something very important. He saved and protected it for
almost forty years before contacting Twyford Bathrooms via its new website.
(www.twyfordbathrooms.com) He
emailed the company and told Terry Woolliscroft (Twyford's Customer Training
Manager and Archivist) "Fortunately when I was inside of an old building with
a lot of debris and garbage inside, I could find, with excellent condition,
the following: The TWYFORDS SANITARY SPECIALTIES 20th CENTURY CATALOGUE. There
is a date on it of the year 1901, written on the distributor tag. Inside the
catalogue we can find the most beautiful line of sanitary products with pictures
contoured with gold. In my opinion a masterpiece." And it really is a masterpiece.
The catalogue was produced by Thomas William Twyford to celebrate both the birth
of the new century and the birth of his new sanitary creations. The Unitas,
The Deluge, The Tornado, The Planet, The Adamant and The Vale (yes, The Vale!!)
are amongst the startling new toilets of the age shown in full colour and gold
trim! The catalogue was known to the company but, as Woolliscroft explains,
the Twyford Bathrooms Archive did not have a copy. " We knew that such a catalogue
existed. It is certainly rare - it must have cost a fortune to produce - but
we didn't have a copy. These beautiful documents must have all been given away.
Customers clamoured for them. We suspected that they went all over the world
- and now we know that at least one ended up in South America." Following the
initial contacts with the company Carlos very kindly agreed to send the catalogue
back home to its creators. Carlos carefully wrapped it and with the help of
Ken Machin from Twyford's International Team despatched the parcel to arrive
in Stoke at the beginning of 2004. "It is in reasonable condition " says Woolliscroft.
"But the years have taken their toll and there is evidence of some horrible
infestation. Inevitable, I suppose, after 70 years in an old damp shed! But
with some TLC the catalogue will be returned to its former glory and used as
both a reference work for Twyford designers and students and a talking point
for the many visitors to our factory here in Alsager." Carlos is delighted that
the catalogue is back home. "It seems to be that since the shipment of the catalog
to Brazil a century ago , no one else had interest for it. I know that the valued
catalog is much more important to you than I.