In the Edwardian Era—indeed throughout much of the last three centuries—England was driven by coal. It was coal that powered industry. Coal supplied mechanical transport. And coal kept people warm in their homes or flats. Even in tightly-inhabited places like London, most people (who had heat) enjoyed it by burning coal in small fireplaces. Some homes or flats had a coal-burning fireplace in numerous rooms. Next to such a fireplace, one might find a "coal scuttle," basically a bin or hopper to hold a stock of coal in readiness for burning. To handle the dirty carbon chunks, a pair of coal tongs would be kept in or near the scuttle.
The Victorians had a tool—or an implement—for every conceivable need. Tidying-up the fireplace was no exception. And they found a way to do it with stye and class! This Victorian English horsehair fireplace brush is housed in a retractable brass "sleeve"—embellished with Springtime flowers and scrolling foliage. Between uses, the brush can be pulled-back into the sleeve and the brush can stand (tenuously) or hung until the next use. Click on the photo above to learn more about it,
Back in "the old days"—a time period which includes the Arts & Crafts period—maintaining and managing fire(s) was an important task. Fires might be used for lighting, cooking, heating, manufacturing and other industrial tasks. And sometimes one needed to "transfer" (or spread) a fire from one place to another. In a wood-burning fireplace or stove, a "Cape Cod" style "fire starter," like the one shown above, was a useful tool to have in the household. The "pitcher"—this one is hand-hammered steel in the Arts & Crafts style—would hold a supply of lamp oil. A wrought-iron "wand," with a soapstone "egg" at one end, would soak in the lamp oil, thus absorbing a good amount of the fuel. This wand would...
Following the Bronze Age, the Iron Age was the period in which iron and steel were developed for tools, weapons and other objects. Iron—a pure element found in rocks called “iron ore”—was more difficult to extract than the copper and tin used for the earlier bronze. However, once smelted, iron was easier and cheaper to […]
