The name Armitage Shanks still looms large in the public toilet and washroom world. In these environments, the strength and durability of its wares are put severely to the test where they bear the brunt of antisocial behaviour and all sorts of misuse. For this reason, their brand is often the choice of local councils, who have to ensure that they provide good quality toilets that are vandal resistant and will need replacing as little as possible.

Unfortunately, large numbers of good Victorian facilities are often dispensed with and replaced with inferior products that have not been serviceable enough to cope with the constant barrage of public usage. A survey by the Audit Commission (1999) showed a dramatic decline in public toilets which they blamed on the preoccupation of making public facilities pay. Public conveniences of course make little money and require a constant army of cleaners and attendants to keep everything nice and fresh.

The British Toilet Association campaigns continually for better public toilets and hands out awards to those public authorities they feel are able to provide good public facilities. They regard the public convenience as representative of the quality of British life. They argue poor quality, badly designed and badly kept toilets suggest that overall standards in Britain are slipping.

The Armitage Shanks brand continues not to disappoint and standards remain high. These days it produces ‘no frills’ white ceramic toilets, baths and basins for public and private usage, sold through outlets like Boundary Bathrooms, and its name remains synonymous with strength and reliability.