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Hopper Heads

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Hopper Heads

Hopper heads collect rainwater at the top of a downpipe and are usually the most decorative element of a cast iron rainwater system — the point where a building’s date, initials or a chosen motif are traditionally cast into the piece itself. This gallery shows the range in practice: ornamental patterns from the standard catalogue, personalised and dated commissions, and plain vernacular designs for buildings where restraint suits the architecture better than ornament. Every pattern shown is available in cast iron to BS 460:2002+A2:2007, and can be reproduced, adapted or dated to order — see the Bespoke page for copy-casting an existing or damaged hopper head.

Ornamental range

Brunswick cast iron hopper head, No.40, moulded panel front

The Brunswick pattern, No.40 — a moulded panel front with a plain outlet.

Line drawing of the Brunswick No.40 cast iron hopper head

Reference outline for the Brunswick No.40 pattern.

Handley cast iron hopper head, No.37, stepped moulded top

The Handley pattern, No.37 — a stepped, moulded top with fixing ear.

Bagley cast iron ornamental hopper head, No.107

The Bagley pattern, No.107, standard wall-mounted form.

Bagley cast iron hopper head, No.107, corner variant with fixing ears

The Bagley No.107 pattern in its corner-mounted form.

Saxby cast iron hopper head, No.2, corner form with fixing ears

The Saxby pattern, No.2 — a corner-mounted design with cast fixing ears.

Hepworth cast iron hopper head, No.522, cast maker's mark visible

The Hepworth pattern, No.522, shown here as-cast with its foundry mark.

Higham cast iron hopper head, No.525, plain box form with side ears

The Higham pattern, No.525 — a plain box hopper with wall-fixing ears.

Westminster cast iron hopper head, No.521, quatrefoil and dogtooth moulding

The Westminster pattern, No.521 — quatrefoil panels above a dogtooth-moulded base.

Woodchester cast iron hopper head, twin-outlet box form

The Woodchester pattern — a wide box hopper serving two outlets from one head.

Cranleigh cast iron ornamental hopper head, No.213, on a moulded corbel bracket

Pattern No.213 — a box hopper carried on a decorative corbel bracket.

Personalised and dated commissions

Manston cast iron hopper head, No.524, cast with initials and house number

The Manston pattern, No.524, personalised with cast initials and a house number.

Cast iron hopper head cast with the date 1897

A hopper head cast with its installation date — 1897 in this example.

Elstow cast iron hopper head, No.254, cast with the date 1926

Pattern No.254, cast with the date 1926 in place of a decorative motif.

Cast iron hopper head dated 1896 on a castellated parapet, Dinefwr Park, Wales

A dated hopper head (1896) set into a castellated stone parapet at Dinefwr Park, Wales.

Decorative motifs, shown in situ

Cast iron hopper head with a cast lion's head motif, installed on a stone building

A hopper head with a cast lion’s head motif, shown as installed.

Cast iron hopper head with a fleur-de-lys motif, painted finish, installed on a stone building

A fleur-de-lys motif hopper head in a painted finish, as installed.

Selmerstone cast iron hopper head, No.91, cast rose motif

The Selmerstone pattern, No.91 — a cast rose motif set within a moulded band.

Plain and vernacular

Plain cast iron hopper head on a red brick Arts and Crafts building

A plain, unornamented hopper head — the right choice on Arts and Crafts and other buildings where restraint suits the architecture.

Rectangular cast iron hopper head with a castellated top edge, installed

A rectangular hopper head with a castellated top edge, shown as installed.

Painted cast iron corner hopper head with a cast rosette motif

A corner hopper head with a cast rosette motif, in a painted finish.

Bespoke

Bespoke cast iron hopper head with quatrefoil and floral banding, Edinburgh

A bespoke hopper head commissioned for a project in Edinburgh, with quatrefoil and floral banding to match the building.

Reference photography

Cast iron hopper head with a cast date plate, on a yellow brick wall

A dated cast iron hopper head shown in close detail against a yellow brick facade.

Weathered cast iron square hopper head on a red brick wall

A weathered square hopper head — an example of how cast iron ages on an older building.

Common Questions

Can a hopper head be cast with a date or initials?

Yes — casting a date, initials or a monogram into a hopper head is a long-standing tradition and something we do regularly, both on new commissions and when reproducing an existing dated piece. Get in touch with the wording or reference material and we’ll advise on what’s practical for the pattern.

What's the difference between a standard and a corner hopper head?

A standard hopper head sits flat against the wall with a single downpipe outlet. A corner unit is shaped to sit into an external or internal angle of a building, with fixing ears set to suit. Let us know the wall junction and we can confirm which pattern fits.

Can you match an existing or damaged hopper head?

Yes — this is copy casting, one of our core services. We work from a surviving fragment, a measured drawing, or clear photographs with a scale reference, typically an 8–10 week lead time. See the Bespoke Projects section of this gallery for examples.

Looking for measured drawings instead of photographs? See the Technical Drawings section of this gallery. For bespoke and copy-cast commissions, see Bespoke Projects, or return to the main Gallery.

Have a hopper head to match or replace? Get in touch with a photograph and, ideally, a scale reference, and we’ll advise on the closest standard pattern or a bespoke copy cast.