The Art of Design Issue 41 2019 | Page 34

34 BACK IN 1994, ALBION’S FOUNDERS HAD A MISSION - to create the ultimate bathtubs. After Manufactured in their own factory, this looking at the market it was clear that only material was named Iso-Enamel due to two materials were available at the time. its high strength and hard surface. This Acrylic, which is a soft plastic, became formulation is cast into moulds and allowed popular in the 1970’s due to ease of to harden. The result is a strong, durable manufacture and low cost. However, acrylic’s and luxurious construction that gives years properties fell short of what the customer of bathing enjoyment. Also, Albion baths wanted. It’s flexibility was always an issue. will keep your water hotter as our material People reported a dread of taking a bath, insulates rather than conducts heat. as they felt the tub might break under their weight. People also said that acrylic was To this day, their unique process offers easy to scratch and always had a ‘cheap look benefits that other materials cannot provide. about it’. These shortcomings still remain Their range of baths are split into two families: today. Roll Tops, which have a soft rolled edge, and Bull Nose which are characterised by Cast Iron has been used for approximately a continuous form from inside to outside. 120 years. It gained a reputation for being The exterior of our Roll Top baths can be the ‘real-thing’. However, cast iron has customised; choose from our selected paint many drawbacks, such as excessive weight, range, one of our three exclusive burnished incredible heat loss from the bathing metallic finishes water and proneness to surface chipping. Homeowners also found that liquid cleaners The exact way the baths are made is a bit of would ruin the white interior surface. a secret! The materials and processes are unique to Albion - so they’re keen not to give After two years of development, Albion had the game away. What they can say is that an it sorted. A new material was created from Albion bath is a multi-layered construction of an amalgam of high technology resin and a special resins and stone powders. The surface special reinforced mineral. is high-gloss, bright white enamel. This is harder than acrylic - and compared to cast iron, our coating is less prone to chipping. An Albion bath is approximately 1/3 the weight of a cast iron bath. This core also insulates your bathing water. Albion now manufactures hand made bathroom furniture in a variety of sizes and styles. To suit your bathroom ideas, Albion’s furniture can be painted to a colour of your choice –giving you the ultimate solution for your new, classical bathroom. www.albionbathco.com