plumber London Wikipedia about the history of the plumbers
Quick look in to the history of the plumbers, thanks to Wikipedia:
The word "plumber" dates from the Roman Empire. The Latin for lead is plumbum. Roman roofs used lead in conduits and drain pipes and some were also covered with lead, lead was also used for piping and for making baths. In medieval times anyone who worked with lead was referred to as a plumber as can be seen from an extract of workmen fixing a roof in Westminster Palace and were referred to as plumbers "To Gilbert de Westminster, plumber, working about the roof of the pantry of the little hall, covering it with lead, and about various defects in the roof of the little hall". Thus a person with expertise in working with lead was first known as a Plumbarius which was later shortened to plumber.
Źródło: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumber
Calling Plumber or doing it yourself?
When it comes to repairing things around the house, men often feel compelled to do it themselves, rather than spent money on overpriced expert. More often than not, it is worth the effort, but what happens when you mess with crucial installations, that you know very little about?
Broken chair or squeaky hinges are one thing, but if you mess up with your drainage or plumbing, all hell can break loose. From time to time, it is really wise to call in the plumber - you may pay more than you would want to, but not necessary more than it is worth. Especially if you would do this yourself and mess up.
Besides, do you really have all the necessary things for all the repairs? I doubt that, let alone the tools, which you may or may not have. If you buy unnecessary spare part, what will you do with it? Plumber can always use it, but he probably wouldn't make the mistake in the first place.
To sum up, it is good to do things around your house by yourself, but don't be afraid to call in the specialist from time to time.
About history of plumbing
Plumbing originated during ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese cities as they developed public baths and needed to provide potable water and wastewater removal, for larger numbers of people.6 Standardized earthen plumbing pipes with broad flanges making use of asphalt for preventing leakages appeared in the urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization by 2700 B.C.7 The Romans used lead pipe inscriptions to prevent water theft.
Plumbing reached its early apex in ancient Rome, which saw the introduction of expansive systems of aqueducts, tile wastewater removal, and widespread use of lead pipes. With the Fall of Rome both water supply and sanitation stagnated?or regressed?for well over 1,000 years. Improvement was very slow, with little effective progress made until the growth of modern densely populated cities in the 1800s. During this period, public health authorities began pressing for better waste disposal systems to be installed, to prevent or control epidemics of disease. Earlier, the waste disposal system had merely consisted of collecting waste and dumping it on the ground or into a river. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools.
Źródło: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing