They're heat, chip and stain resistant! What's not to love!
A bit of background
Before the modern plumbing systems, people needed to haul buckets from lakes, rivers, streams and wells in to the home to use for their everyday needs like washing dishes, boiling food and cleaning clothes. Not all of these sources of water were close by.
These large kitchen sinks were mainly found in rural homes in and around the 16th century, and were originally designed to provide added comfort for women, who back then would spend many hours at the sink. The ergonomic design eliminates the need to hunch over the counter top, by bringing the sink forward.
Due to their intelligent design, these sinks became quite prevalent, and in the late 17th Century they began to make their way in to the homes of the wealthy as two newly designed Butler Sinks; the Belfast and the London. The names for the sinks came from the cities where the sanitation officers approved their usage.
There were two slight, but significant, differences in design between the sinks. The Belfast sink had a large basin, big enough to fit a small child, and was fitted with a Weir overflow that allowed water to drain, as opposed to spilling over the edge. As Belfast (Ireland) had access to many water sources, they were never concerned with over-usage.
The London on the other hand had a smaller basin and no overflow. Due to London (England) being built on clay, in order to find any fresh water, a well would have to be dug very deep in order to get through all the clay. Which is why London had serious problems with water usage and reclamation.
Little much has changed since its humble beginnings. The Butler Sink is still made from Fireclay, while its design has an old world charm that ads character and a touch of sophistication to any modern kitchen.
But why choose a fireclay sink,really?
Fine fireclay is also a much denser, heavier material which is fired at temperatures of up to 2000 degrees Celsius, almost twice that of other ceramic.
The high-quality glaze makes fine fireclay sinks the most hygienic sink on the market, being completely non-porous and very easy to clean. It also ensures the sink will not stain over time and is highly scratch resistant. Think: beetroot juice, tomato based sauces, soy sauces - nothing stains this product!
Fine fireclay is also highly heat resistant, so boiling water and hot pots and pans can be placed directly onto the sink on a cold morning, without fear of cracking.
Even if - on the rare occasion - a sink is chipped or scratched, you can get a product to repair it. Isn't that amazing!
How does it compare to stainless steel?
For traditional and Hamptons style homes, the look is absolutely perfect - better than the common stainless steel. But they do need to treated a little gentler than stainless as it is possible to chip them (although that's not easy to do). They can be repaired if they are chipped, so there's always that piece of comfort! Also, you can get a rubber sink matt to help avoid any mishaps!
TIP : make sure you buy quality - cheap imports from China will just end in tears!
Have a look at https://www.turnerhastings.com.au/ for more info and a great product line!