The Timeline of Gutters

BC 27- 14AD:   The Romans empire begins to flourish. It’s architectural influence spreads across Asia and Europe.

47AD:   Roman gutters begin to be installed in Britain.

1066:   The Norman invasion caused a monumental rebuilding of English architecture. Major public buildings began to have stone roofs and parapets, which required gutters and gargoyles to displace rainwater.

1240:   The Tower of London purportedly had the very first British downpipe, furnished to protect the newly whitewashed walls.

Middle Ages: Overcrowding and poor materials make gutter disputes among the most common cases reviewed by local authorities. Anti-fire legislation encourages tiled roofs, which made gutters more popular.

1539:   The closing of monasteries freed up massive amounts of recycled lead and creates a surplus in rainwater goods.

1700 – 1800:   Gutters are common in American colonies, mostly made of wood and cast iron. It eventually became a trend to house gutters inside the building and pipe the water straight into sewers

1812:   Guenther’s ancestors began the trade of coppersmithing which has continued to this very day.

1900-1925:   Rolling machines are invented, which made steel gutters a possible addition to more of America.

1939-1950:   With the development of plastics, less metal gutters were produced so that the metal supply could be used for war purposes.

2014:   Ornametals sells a copper gutter system to a contractor that installs it on a house.

2150:   Aliens invade, the crops are burned, and mankind is enslaved and taken away to make screws for spaceships. But that gutter system installed in 2014 still doesn’t need replaced.