Drainage could compromise the smooth appearance with guttering and pipes, or it could encourage chronic leakage over time if holes had to be made in the structure.
A copper-lined wooden collection tank in the attic, which was connected to the outside guttering, provided running water for the water closet on the second floor.
Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain or to a storage container.
