Bottle filling spigot used for decanting spirits from wooden barrels.ca.1880.

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DescriptionA couple of old brass taps I found a while ago in the dirt down a bank on our place. I finally got around to cleaning them up today. The top one is a bottle filling spigot used for decanting spirits from wooden barrels. It would have been hammered into a barrel, and the grooves in the side of the spout would have helped air escape as the bottle filled. The household tap has the same very basic valve and tap handle, so I'm assuming they are of a similar era, maybe around 1880'Date of Photo1880Map^[1]ContributorTom Belton

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Location (city or town)GreymouthLandmark (Place)Bottle filling spigotEventBottle filling spigot used for decanting spirits from wooden barrels.ca,1880.

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Category TagHotelsfoodHousehold

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Date Created30th May 2021CommentsDorothy Wills
The household tap looks like it maybe brass

Tom Belton
Dorothy Wills yes they are both brass. The barrel spigot is quite pitted though.

Warner Nut Curry
Very nice Tom, i really like the decanter,

Tom Belton
Warner Nut Curry so do I, it's a beautiful thing. I think it may be from the original Woodstock Pub site which was apparently nearer the river than the current site, which is where we live.

Warner Nut Curry
Tom Belton Very interesting Tom, i was born in Karamea where brass any thing was quite rare to find, i am in the Lucky country now and collect anything that is brass or copper but have never seen one like the Decanter, i am 66 and been retired by Melanoma for a while now after 17 years at sea on mostly Russian trawlers so my favorites are from a dream nightmare of being arrested for my trawler being in the Otomahana estuary at Karamea and escaped with the wheels on down the road towards Westport in my 110m trawler,
Keep finding more Tom,
No photo description available.

Brian Ronson
It is the ‘pipe’ of the spigot that has the grooves, the spout is the part that stays outside the barrel. The grooves on the pipe are to grip the wooden hole of the barrel into which the spigot is hammered in. As the pipe of the spigot is immersed in the liquid to let the liquid pour out the grooves cannot let air in ( not escape). Air would gurgle in while the spigot is open, or a bung at the top of the barrel would be loosened to allow the air to enter there.

Gav Schist
Brian Ronson I think he means the deep grooves in the bit pointing down in the photo

Tom Belton
Gav Schist you are correct Gav, there is a groove on either side of the outlet pipe to let air escape the bottle. The purpose of the tapered end goiing into the barrel is fairly obvious i would have thought.

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Bottle filling spigot used for decanting spirits from wooden barrels.ca.1880.

Editing is temporarily disabled