UK's 'first domestic jacuzzi' uncovered at Somerset country house

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The UK's first-ever domestic jacuzzi has been discovered at a country house in Somerset.

The jacuzzi is a quirky feature of Hestercombe House, near Taunton.

It has always been known that it was installed during the Victorian era, as the patient on the plug hole is dated 1890.

But the tub's original lead piping was only discovered recently, which experts believe proves its status as the UK's first-ever domestically-installed jacuzzi.

There are multiple taps that would have directed the water through multiple holes in the back of the bath.

"We know it was bought by Mr Portman for his wife in the 1890s," Tim Matin, the artistic director of the Hestercombe Trust, said.

"We know that it was patented in 1890. It's an original Victorian Jacuzzi bath that was made by George Jennings Company, who was a very famous bath maker.

"You can see it is genuinely a jacuzzi bath maker. If you look you can see all these little holes, all these taps do different things, and supply water to different parts."

The house was bought by the Hestercombe Trust in 2013 from Somerset County Council for £1.

The bath looks out onto the centre of the gardens in a south facing view.

The bath is currently unused but the Hestercombe Trust hope to display it to the public as part of an exhibition, which starts in March.

The exhibition will showcase all of the collections in the house, as well as its Victorian jacuzzi bath.

It is situated in the centre of the house, meaning the bather would have looked out onto the house's gardens when it was used in the 1800s.