The original guttering was of painted cast iron, which has a long life, often a hundred years plus. Only guttering of the right material and profile will suit the top of your walls and the edges of your roof. Cast iron gutters and down pipes need cleaning and repainting at regular intervals. This may seem hard work, but replacement plastic guttering has a much shorter life. It can become brittle with age and crack. The rubber joints may also fail. If your cast iron gutter seems to be leaking, check with a builder, the fault can often be repaired.
Cast iron guttering should be combined with cast iron down pipes, which are far less susceptible to casual vandalism, unlike plastic down pipes, which are easy to dislodge.
Specialist companies still produce cast-iron guttering/down pipes and carry a full range of decorative hoppers and fixings.
Fine examples of cast iron gutters, down pipes and hoppers can be seen on Wyvern School
