A train journey into Dublin city, particularly to Pearse Station, always reminds me quite a bit of Guinness, Christmas and sandy beaches. Yes, I guess I am a bit of a romantic after all. Gliding through the sea of sinking rooftops and it's selection of slanted and crumbling red brick chimneys with wonky, cracked ceramic pots is one of the few experiences that perks me up on my early morning commute. When one was allowed commute that is, thank you very much COVID19.
Chimneys and pots abound in this part of town because it is rich in period properties, representing a time when fires were the predominant way of heating the home, and the only way of cooking. A typical 3 to 5 bed suburban townhouse could have anywhere between 4 and 8 fireplaces depending on the whim of the speculator (and the affluence of his clients). As much as this author loves an open fire, that's a lot of ash to clean out.
The Victorian period spanned from 1837-1901 and brought in a new depth of architectural texture. With the advancing industrialisation of the time, new materials and techniques allow for a greater selection of coloured bricks and ceramics in differing shapes and sizes. The somewhat independent nature of craftsmen back then, along with the speculators building small numbers of houses at a time, resulted in the great variety of styles and finishes on rooftops that we see today. Despite the growing obsolescence and unsustainability of the fireplace in the home, these views are still architecturally valuable. At least for me, it's the only thing that makes me sit up and look out the train window.
Nowadays with the growing options of geothermal, air-to-water, heat recovery ventilation and whatever other non fossil fuel way you prefer to heat your home, it may be tempting to consider removing your fireplaces altogether, and chimney along with it. While it can certainly be done, with the permission of any adjoining neighbours and the planning authority of course, structural reinforcing at attic level would be required to keep the external stack safely in situ and maintain the magic of my morning view.
So why do Victorian chimneys remind me of Guinness, Christmas and long walks on the beach?
How about the view of Poolbeg from Sandymount beach, walking the dogs on an early Sunday morning. I can smell the sea breeze now. Or the dewy haze of a dim winters morning with the Guinness brewery smoking up the backdrop. I can smell that too actually... Of course, the hanging of your stocking as the flames crackle and glow beneath it on Christmas eve, that wonderful scent of shouldering logs and mulled wine.
While the history of child chimney sweeps is indeed a bit horrifying, and no-one is denying that burning fossil fuels is not the way forward, this author wants the reader to be mindful, nonetheless; sure how else would Santa get in.