Any idea?

Has anybody any ideas as to what these are?

Looks like the inside sleeve of a Bain Marie or similar contraption.

Size? Material? Could be an old copper water heater/cooker/etc. Might be a hanging basket without drainage holes?

Glue pots?

Dishmop said:

Glue pots?

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Good one. Reminds me of the old 'animal glue' pot we used to use as kids. glue in the pot you see, boiling water on the outside jacket to melt the glue.
Like the Bain Marie idea then?

If its to do with beekeeping ... wax melter ... boiling water in the outer vessel wax in the inner pot ?

midnight sun said:

Good one. Reminds me of the old 'animal glue' pot we used to use as kids. glue in the pot you see, boiling water on the outside jacket to melt the glue.
Like the Bain Marie idea then?

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Pre Bostick days..

Not beekeeping related. It's made of metal, about 2' high and 2' across. Looks like something off a steam engine.

Grease caps off a cart wheel bearing or white metal grease bearing

Looks similar to one of the old cast iron boilers, the sort that were set in a brick/stone surround, with the fire place underneath, used for boiling cloths or even used for cooking animal feed occasionally.

Always a few dotted about the farms around here. Used for preparing pig swill or horse feed, In fact my cousin has just renovated his grandfather's smithy (his father, uncle Dai died a few months ago and wanted to lie there until the funeral). There's a boiler just like that next to the forge

oliver90owner said:

Size? Material? . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Red Bee said:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . about 2' high and 2' across. Looks like something off a steam engine.

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MuswellMetro said:

Grease caps off a cart wheel bearing or white metal grease bearing

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Wow big wheels!

Are they copper or iron/steel?

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Always a few dotted about the farms around here. Used for preparing pig swill or horse feed, In fact my cousin has just renovated his grandfather's smithy (his father, uncle Dai died a few months ago and wanted to lie there until the funeral). There's a boiler just like that next to the forge

Click to expand...

I have three of them that were used by my dad for for mixing pig feed and also used for boiling water for scolding pigs after slaughter back in the 40s and 50s

Hivemaker. said:

Looks similar to one of the old cast iron boilers, the sort that were set in a brick/stone surround, with the fire place underneath, used for boiling cloths or even used for cooking animal feed occasionally.

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Had one in a Victorian house where I grew up. It was in the scullery but it was always refered to as the "copper" I never saw it because it was boarded over .

jenkinsbrynmair said:

Always a few dotted about the farms around here. Used for preparing pig swill or horse feed, In fact my cousin has just renovated his grandfather's smithy (his father, uncle Dai died a few months ago and wanted to lie there until the funeral). There's a boiler just like that next to the forge

Click to expand...

Yes .. at home as a kid in Yorkshire we had one in the 'wash house' which was on the back of the house next to the outside toilet - set in a brick surround that had a fireplace under it. On wash days, before we got a washing machine, my mum used to boil the 'whites' up in the 'copper' before hooking them out with a big pair of wooden tongs and then pounding them in the 'wash tub' with a 'dolly', scrubbing any stains on a 'wash board'. Washing was always done on a Monday and took most of the day. How times have changed in 60 years ...

But ... whilst I thought it looked a bit like one of those there appears to be either some holes or some protruding pegs just below the rim on the outside and I can't see what they are for. Ours was just a plain curve down to the bottom - identical to this one:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...-wash-tub-copper-planter%2F1086990577;640;480

Here's a bit more nostalgia....

http://www.1900s.org.uk/copper-water-heater.htm

It must have been very hard work ...

Dishmop said:

Had one in a Victorian house where I grew up. It was in the scullery but it was always refered to as the "copper" I never saw it because it was boarded over .

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Ours had metal lids dad say him and his mate would get a couple of maggots and races them across the top and whoevers exploded last won how things were before TV and console games and once he feed the coal to the pig witch resulted in a thrashing and a cursing for his dad

pargyle said:

But ... whilst I thought it looked a bit like one of those there appears to be either some holes or some protruding pegs just below the rim on the outside

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...-wash-tub-copper-planter%2F1086990577;640;480

Click to expand...

Those also have pegs/protrusions near the rim, possibly to lock them into the brickwork.

Husband says it belongs in the corner of a wash house where a fire would be lit under it.

Dishmop said:

Pre Bostick days..

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Well the things been ID'd. But I do remember using a smaller looking version for animal glue. Used to glue my granddads fire wood together. He didn't see the funny side, but I did learn a couple of new 'swear words'!
Happy days...........about 6 weeks ago to be precise!

I think it's a 'Gypsy pot' - it would have originally had a three legged stand with a circular hoop at the top and the pot sat with the recessed bottom part in the circular hoop with a fire lit below the pot to boil water. There may have originally been a hooped handle on the top and lugs under the rim could well have been there to secure a lid for travelling.

So .. a sort of mobile version of a copper .. let's face it ... even travellers had to wash their sheets occasionally !