Antique wall-mounted garden tap

Here, the tap isn't hidden behind a pot: it shows itself off. The brass takes on a patinated bronze tint, the lever head carries an engraved band of patterns, and the round wall plate is chiselled with a flower. The lever itself curls slightly upwards, like a leaf, echoing the curve of the spout.

It naturally finds its place on a stone wall, near a fountain or pond, on the front of an old house, in a cobbled courtyard or a cottage garden. Where an ordinary tap would jar, this one extends the decor, just like a wall light or a cast-iron letterbox.

The dimensions photo gives about 18.3 cm from the wall to the end of the spout, 10 cm in height and an 8 cm lever. The wall plate is 5.5 cm in diameter. This long spout clears plenty of space below the outlet: a watering can or bucket fits under without knocking the wall, and splashes stay away from the render.

The inlet is a G1/2 thread, i.e. 15x21, about 1.8 cm long. It screws into a female connector of the same size, with PTFE tape round the thread; the wall plate then sits flat against the wall to hide the join.

One of the photos shows the outlet taken apart: a ring, a black seal and a small mesh filter. This filter holds back sand and particles and gives a steady stream; when the flow weakens, unscrew the ring, rinse the filter under water and put everything back in the same order.

This smooth outlet is not designed for a garden hose: it is a draw-off tap, for filling, rinsing or washing hands. Before the frost, shut off the water upstream, open the lever to drain the long spout and leave it open until the fine weather returns.