| By :
Nick Messe
The chimney sweep is one of the oldest modern professions, whose history goes back to ancient times. During the 1400's for example, crow stepped gables were constructed on houses in Eastern Europe to give sweeps easy access to the chimney to do their work. The modern concept of a chimney sweep though only developed in the past two hundred years after European chimneys became large enough for a man fit inside. This development that coincided with the industrial revolution gave us the popular image of the soot faced chimney sweep we are all familiar with. During this time, many superstitions developed, perhaps because of the peculiar nature of their work. Thankfully for them, most of these superstitions were rather positive suggesting that chimney sweeps could bring good luck. This was perhaps the result of an incident in which a sweep saved the life of King George II, and the king went on to decree that they would bring good luck to the land. Even today, chimney sweeps are still hired to appear at British weddings, because it is believed if the bride sees a sweep on her wedding day it will bring her good luck. Chimney sweeping has also been very controversial due to the dangers inherent in the work. Inhaling dust or soot while cleaning a chimney can cause suffocation. Repeated unprotected exposure to soot and other material inside chimneys can cause cancer. Becoming stuck in narrow chimneys can also pose great hazards. Unfortunately, the victims of these injuries were often children. Many of these children were orphans as young as four bought from orphanages by chimney sweeps as indentured servants for use as so-called apprentices. Chimney sweeping has been at the center of a number of pieces of legislation, especially in Great Britain where the practice is most famous. Of these bills, the great exploitation of children used as chimney sweep apprentices was addressed. One such law was enacted in 1788 that limited the age of a chimney sweep apprentice to eight and the number of apprentices for one sweep to six. Fifty-two years later another law was enacted, this time raising the age limit for chimney sweeping to twenty-one. Due to the development of central heating, the chimney cleaning profession as it has existed in earlier centuries has pretty much disappeared. However, the trade didn't really die off, it has simply evolved with the times. Today, in addition to more traditional-style chimneys, chimney sweeps help maintain and clean a number of different heating apparatuses including ventilation systems that work by burning natural gas, oil, and wood pellets. While chimney cleaners still use their famous brushes, they also implement more modern tools in their trade such as cameras to locate blockage and sediment inside a chimney. They also use powerful vacuums to remove soot, other build-ups, and debris. Whatever the case, it appears that chimney sweeping in some form is here to stay.
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