How the Victorians heated their homes

We are fortunate that in today’s western society, we have access to heating systems that allow us to manipulate the environments in which we live and work. We are no longer affected by outdoor temperatures as we can increase the temperature indoors to keep us warm in the colder autumn and winter months. This has led to an increase in life expectancy as we can help to ward off illnesses that are related to cold temperatures and can also help to keep the elderly warm and comfortable. It is still essential that we use a Boilers Gloucester company like www.hprservicesltd.com/gloucester-boilers/boiler-service-gloucester to come in and regularly service our heating systems so that we can ensure they are running as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

Back during the Victorian era, there was a much earlier version of central heating, and people had to find different ways to stay warm. Here are a couple of them.

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Tapestries

It was common for people to hang tapestries on the walls of their rooms in order to decorate them. These are massive sheets of embroidered fabric, beautifully decorated and dazzlingly elegant, adorned with a beautiful and bright array of colours. It is essential to understand, however, that tapestries were not just hung on walls for the sake of aesthetic beauty and art.

It was often the case in winter that the interior temperatures of houses or buildings are not much higher than those outside during the cold weather. A tapestry was a material that served the purpose of insulating a room by trapping heat inside. This meant they acted much like our modern-day insulation. As much as possible, tapestries were hung in order to keep the warm air inside and the cold air outside.

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Bed Warmers

A bed warmer is composed of a pan, which can be filled with burning charcoal or ashes from a fireplace or stove, then a lid is put on the pan, and then using the handle that is at the top of the pan, you slide it under the covers, between the blankets and the mattress, and there you leave it to warm up the bed until it is a pleasant, comfortable temperature.

Despite the popularity of coal-filled and ash-filled bed warmers in the past, there has always been a potential risk of fire associated with them. The hot-water bed warmer or hot-water bottle was considered to be a safer and more portable option.

In the past, most people used copper bottles as opposed to the more modern rubber bottles that we have today.

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