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My Wood Fires And Their Story, Showing The Beauty And Use Of The Wood Fire - Of The Way To Secure Good Draught And Combustion - Of The Native Woods Best ... And Of The Economy And Value Of Wood As Fuel
My Wood Fires And Their Story Showing The Beauty And Use Of The Wood Fire Of The Way To Secure Good Draught And Combustion Of The Native Woods Best And Of The Economy And Value Of Wood As Fuel Author:William Robinson MY WOOD FIRES AND THEIR STORY - CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PACE 7 . I0 I4 . 16 . 18 HALL FIRE . To face page 10 OLD DUTCH . p ,, 12 COPPER SITTING-ROOM FIRE OLD HALL . 3, ,, 14 STUDY FIRE . 9, , I 6 DINING-ROOM FIRE . 99 99 18 PLAN AND SECTION OF DINING-ROOM FIREPLACE . . 21 WHITE ROOM HEARTH . . Tofacepage 22 ROSE ROOM FIRE . ,, ,, 24 BOOK... more »-ROOM FIRE . ,, ,, 26 OLD OAK BEDROOM FIRE . ,, ,, 28 MOAT COTTAGE FIREPLACE . 33 ,, 30 THE BENDER . 9, ,, 32 FIRE-GUARD OLD FRENCH . ,, ,, 36 PLAN AND SECTIONS OF HEARTH FIRE IN LONDON HOUSE - 40 WOOD BASKET WROUGHT IRON . To face page 42 WOOD SHED AND STORE GRAVETYE . ,, ,, 46 THE SETTLE AN THE GIRT WOOD VlRE AH naighbour John, since I an you Wer youngsters, evry thing is new. My fathers vires wer all o logs 0 cleft-wood, down upon the dogs Below our clavy, high, an brode Enough to tegke a cart an lwoad, Where big an little all zot down At bwoth zides, an bevore, all roun. But theyve a-walld up now wi bricks The vier plece vor dogs an sticks, An only left a little hole To teake a little greate o coal, So small that only twos or drees Can jist push in an warm their knees. . BARNES. AIMS OF THE BOOK OME years ago I came into possession of an old S Manor House, built in I 596, with much to be done to it. Worse than all were the fireplaces. They were in old days meant to burn wood, but had been diverted fiom their old uses to modern ones with little success. Old fire hearths had been closed up and ways tried to adapt the fireplaces to the use of coal, attempts mostly futile. Not one of them could be well used owing to smoke, and various contrivances to get rid of that nuisance were ineffectual. With plenty of wood in the place it was wrong that the best of all fuels could not be well used in the house, and this led me to consider the problem in all ways. I have had so much pleasureYin the result that I would like to convey it to others who are fortunate in having supplies of wood. Many people must be in the same plight, judging by the grates in country houses one sees pictured in the illustrated papers. It is a rarity to see the wood fire in its right place, and grates and various contrivances for getting a draught are used. So, without going into the theories of the matter or the laws that govern combustion and such things, I will state what was done to secure good wood fires and get rid of all drawbacks. It is little use talking to people in cities about wood fires, but in much of the wooded-parts of the country there is an abundance of wood which in well-arranged fireplaces would give us the best and prettiest of fires. Such is the vogue of coal, how- ever, that even on estates where wood is abundant, one may see people crowding round ugly iron grates trying to warm themselves and there is an idea that you cannot be warmed with wood fires-a stupid mistake arising out of the fact that the good old way if managing wood fires is to a great extent lost. The modern buildings are no help to its revival with their narrow chimneys built for burning coal. Some of our chimneys were spoiled by narrow pipes, which were supposed to assist the draught, and old hearth fire- places were fitted with grates, and in one way or another the old hearth fires were given up. There is no fire so beautihl as a wood fire on the hearth. It is economical, too, if only in not having to remove a mass of coal-ash every morning...« less