FEW household items have as long and functional history as that of the chamber pot! Examples were known to the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago, and this humble domestic item was still being put to its original use as late as the 1950s in parts of the UK in un-modernised houses.

Today, you would think demand for the chamber pot had more or less expired, but the truth is quite the opposite. Examples are quite sought after around the antiques fairs, though these days they are put to a very different use.

Current fashion is for the old chamber pot to be given a new lease of life as a plant holder, and some of the prettier examples can fetch quite a decent sum.

The value of an old chamber pot depends largely on its quality of manufacture, for some examples were fairly plain and anonymous, and others were made by companies of high repute such as Royal Doulton.

Fairly plain white examples will have a value of just £10 to £15, but a floral example with a pretty decoration on the outside can fetch as much as £50 to £60 if of good quality, and ones by certain named manufacturers which perhaps have a collecting following of their own anyway, can fetch even more.

Some examples made for wealthier households in the mid and late Victorian period were extremely decorative with gilt handles and floral or landscape scenes. Some even had internal decoration, so it is easy to see why they became popular for holding flower arrangements in living rooms and conservatories.

While most chamber pots are of a conventional circular form, there are variations, with French examples sometimes being rather slim and oblong and rather smaller. These are popularly known as bourdalou, derived from a 17th century preacher of the same name.

The story is that his services were so long, that ladies needed a toilet break, but as it would have caused offence to leave the Church, they used these slim line chamber pots, concealed beneath their dresses!

Oddly enough, some chamber pots even had portraits on them, sometimes of famous characters like the reigning monarch, or perhaps George Washington or Napoleon.

During the Second World War, there were chamber pots with a portrait of Adolph Hitler in the base! Any portraiture or inscription can double or even triple value so they're certainly worth looking out for. While most were made of earthenware, some were also made in metal such as brass and pewter and enamel and it's reputed that one famous Cardinal even had a glass chamber pot complete with fur lined rim!

Also worth looking out for are novelty chamber pots often made in the form of animals which were designed to potty-train small children. Usually dating from the late 19th or early 20th century, they are particularly popular with collectors.

POT ON: Chamber pots are enjoying a new lease of life as plant holders