If you have ever admired a kitchen photo with an apron-front sink, painted cabinetry and a gleaming two-handle faucet arched over the basin, there is a good chance you were looking at a Perrin & Rowe bridge faucet. The English brand did not invent the bridge format, but it has become the reference point for it, and for many Canadian homeowners planning a classic kitchen it is the first name on the shortlist. This guide covers what you are actually paying for, how the range compares with our other brands, and who would honestly be better served by something else.
Where bridge faucets sit in the Perrin & Rowe lineup
Perrin & Rowe is a British manufacturer within the House of Rohl family, which also includes ROHL, Shaws, Riobel and Victoria + Albert. The kitchen range spans single-hole mixers, pot fillers, filtration taps and bar faucets, but the bridge faucets are the flagship. A bridge faucet mounts the hot and cold valves separately on the deck and joins them with an exposed horizontal crosspiece, so the mixing happens above the counter rather than inside a hidden body. It is an early twentieth century plumbing form, and Perrin & Rowe still builds it the traditional way: heavy, mechanical and unapologetically visible.
Design and construction: what you are paying for
At this tier you are paying for material and workmanship rather than features:
- Solid brass construction. Bodies, spouts and handles are machined from brass, not zinc alloy, which is why these faucets feel so dense in the hand.
- English manufacturing. Perrin & Rowe machines, polishes and assembles its faucets in England, with a level of hand finishing that mass-market lines do not attempt.
- Ceramic disc valving. The workhorse cartridge type for smooth quarter-turn operation and long service life, and a serviceable part rather than a sealed unit.
- Handle character. Metal levers or classic crosshandles, with porcelain accents available on some designs, which is a big part of the heritage look.
- Deep finish range. Polished nickel, chrome, brass tones and darker bronze-family finishes, including living finishes that are meant to patina with use.
How Perrin & Rowe compares with our other brands
Speaking at the category level, since specs vary model to model:
| If you want | Worth comparing |
|---|---|
| Heritage bridge styling at the premium tier | ROHL, the Italian-influenced sibling brand, offers its own traditional kitchen designs in a similar quality bracket |
| Modern convenience for less | Riobel, the Quebec-based House of Rohl brand, focuses on contemporary single-lever designs at a more accessible tier |
| Broad North American ranges | Kohler and Brizo both make bridge-style faucets with more integrated spray options, generally at lower price points |
| Canadian customization | Rubinet and Aquabrass offer deep finish programs if matching an unusual palette matters more than the bridge form itself |
The honest summary: if one-handed operation and a powerful integrated spray are how your kitchen actually runs on a Tuesday night, a quality faucet from our pull-down kitchen faucet collection will serve you better for less money. Perrin & Rowe wins on presence, materials and longevity, not on convenience features.
Finish and sizing logic
Finish first: polished nickel is the signature choice in this category, warmer than chrome and very forgiving with both painted and wood cabinetry. Brass tones suit deep greens, blues and cream kitchens. Living finishes will darken and mottle with use, which is either the entire point or a dealbreaker, so decide which camp you are in before ordering. Match or deliberately contrast your cabinet hardware and lighting, but avoid a near-miss between two slightly different brass tones.
Sizing is where bridge faucets punish guesswork. Check four things against the spec sheet before anything is drilled:
- Hole count and spacing. Bridge faucets are wide-set two-hole installations by design, with a third hole needed if you add a side spray and possibly a fourth for soap or filtration. Confirm the exact template before your fabricator cuts stone.
- Spout reach. The aerator should land near the centre of the bowl, not the back edge.
- Arc clearance. The high arch that looks so good in photos needs room under window frames, shelving and faucet-forward ledges.
- Deck depth. The valve bodies and crosshandles need real estate behind the sink, which rules out some tight window-sill installations.
These faucets are at their best over a generous single bowl. Pairing one with a fireclay farmhouse sink from our apron-front sink collection is the classic move for a reason.
Availability and parts support in Canada
Because Perrin & Rowe sits under House of Rohl, it has established Canadian distribution rather than grey-market importing, which matters twice. First, faucets sold for the Canadian market carry the applicable North American certifications, look for cUPC or CSA marks on the spec sheet, and your local inspector applies provincial and municipal plumbing rules on top of the National Plumbing Code framework. Second, and more important for a faucet you intend to keep for decades: cartridges, side spray hoses and handles remain orderable through Canadian channels, so a drip in year twelve is a service call, not a replacement. We ship Canada-wide, from Vancouver to Halifax and everywhere between, though hand-applied specialty finishes can carry longer lead times than stocked chrome or nickel, so build that into a renovation schedule.
Honest weaknesses
No hedging here. Two handles mean two-handed temperature adjustment, which is slower with messy hands than any single lever. Spray duty on the most traditional configurations falls to a separate side spray that needs its own deck hole and its own reach across the sink. The exposed bridge and crosshandles add polishing surfaces that a minimalist faucet simply does not have. The scale that flatters a big farmhouse sink overwhelms a compact condo kitchen or a shallow prep bowl. And in the Canadian pricing environment, an imported, hand-finished English faucet is a genuinely premium purchase; it earns that position on build quality, but nobody should pretend it is a value play.
Who this range genuinely suits
Perrin & Rowe bridge faucets make sense for people building a heritage, farmhouse or classic English-style kitchen they plan to live with for a long time, who value repairability and material quality over features, and who have the sink scale and counter depth to carry the look. They make less sense for feature-driven cooks, compact kitchens and anyone stretching the budget to reach them. Browse the full kitchen faucet collection to compare the field side by side, and see our other buying guides for help with the sink, finish and layout decisions that surround this one.
Frequently asked questions
Are Perrin & Rowe faucets certified for use in Canada?
Faucets sold through Canadian retailers for Canadian installation carry the harmonized North American certifications; check the spec sheet for cUPC or CSA marks and low-lead compliance. Plumbing rules are enforced locally, so your plumber or inspector has the final word in your province and municipality.
Can I get spray functionality with a bridge faucet?
Yes, traditionally through a matching side spray installed in its own deck hole, and some bridge designs integrate a pull-down spout. If spraying is central to how you cook, compare the format honestly against a dedicated pull-down first.
How many holes does a bridge faucet need?
Plan on two wide-set holes for the faucet itself, a third if you add a side spray, and possibly a fourth for a soap dispenser or filtration tap. Always confirm the exact drilling template for your chosen model before a stone counter is cut, because there is no undo.
Do bridge faucets work with any kitchen sink?
They are happiest over large single-bowl and apron-front sinks where the reach and arc have room to work. Shallow bowls and small prep sinks tend to splash under a high arc and look out of proportion beneath one.
