Chimney Sweep Festivities in England

Your Chimney Sweep

In Rochester, England, real life chimney sweeps have about as much fun as they do in Mary Poppins! Part of the traditions with the chimney sweep profession include a celebration that takes place once a year and goes on for 3 days straight.

Hundreds of years ago when chimneys were cleaned by young boys, the profession had one day off each year! This was on May 1st. To celebrate, the boys ran through the streets singing and dancing with excitement. Today, the celebration continues in a very similar fashion. The modern day festival which will mark its 32nd year in 2012 reenacts this tradition with more and more extravagance every year. Think Mardi Gras, Chimney Sweep Style.
In May of each year, over the national bank holiday, a huge festival for chimney sweeps in Rochester, England called the Rochester Sweeps Festival takes place. This year the festival will be held from Saturday, May 5th through Monday, May 7th, 2012. The festival has many attractions ranging from traditional folk music, elaborate dancing, parades, group performances and other festive entertainment.
One of the most important parts of this holiday tradition is the awakening of the Jack-in-the-Green during the festival. The Jack-in-the-Green is a 7 foot tall leafy man that starts the parade celebrations each year alongside traditional Morris dancers and the chimney sweeps. The concept came about from the elaborate costumes people used to wear during the May festival to celebrate the coming of spring. People used to dress up by layering strands of flowers and leaves all over themselves. Some people got so into the leafy costumes that they began to take on the form of a tree rather than a person. This look later became recognized as the Jack-in-the-Green at every May Festival. Now the Jack-in-the-Green has a prominent role in the Rochester Sweeps Festival.

A few songs have been written about the Jack-in-the-Green, including a track by the same name by Magpie Lane that is written in the traditional style of folk music and projects the spirit of the festivities.

The Morris dancers that take part in the parades at the festivals are traditional English folk dancers. Each group of these dancers consist of about 6-10 people dressed up in various costumes. The costumes vary greatly depending on where each group is from. Some Morris dancers wear tattered clothing and paint their faces black, while others dress up in lively colors with detailed belts. Traditional Morris dancing is performed on specific holidays, such as May Day, Whitsunday, and Christmas.
After all of the excitement during the day with the parades and dances, the festivities continue at night in the many local pubs where local beer flows and local bands play all night for the lively audience. This is a weekend filled with tradition and new things to see so it brings in a lot of tourism to the various businesses throughout town. Somehow we thought that these sweeps might end the day in the pub!
Even though the date carries much of the tradition of the festival, and the current level of tourism is already very high, this year there is controversy surrounding the May Day holiday. The English Parliament is thinking about moving the festivities to October or April to extend the tourism season and ultimately make the holiday more profitable for participating businesses. The proposal came from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) tourism who believes that the change in date will have a dramatic increase in tourism to the area. Already 3,000 people have signed a petition against this proposal, and a decision has not yet been reached.
This festival is a great way to celebrate the tradition and history of the chimney sweep profession. Tourists literally come from all over the world to be part of the excitement of the festival, celebrate the coming of Spring and of course, for the good luck kisses from all of the local sweeps and Morris men.

Who knows maybe one of these years North Carolina Chimney Sweeps Association will throw our own festival!

1. SERVICES AVAILABLE: CHIMNEY SWEEP

Lady Gaga claims she spends hours coordinating her attire?

Or hours coordinating her face to go with her ridiculous outfits? This outfit looks like she spent the afternoon cleaning mychimney. On her way out of my chimney apparently her pants got snagged on a brick and ripped off. I don’t exactly know how to explain her bra being on the outside of her clothes. Is this girl for real? The cotton ball for hair and mask of black lace make this coordinated outfit just that more ridiculous. Can you believe she wore this to the Ace Awards?

Amber D. is living with a young Chimney Sweep

living with a chimney sweep

It started out innocently enough last Thursday.  He wanted to be a chimney sweep.  Not just any chimney sweep.  He was very specific.  He wanted to be "Dick Van Dyke acting the part of Burt, the chimney sweep" from Mary Poppins.  Okay then.

The next day was the same.  As was the next.  He played with his little brother but "as a chimney sweep" only.  We went out to a restaurant.  We went to a few stores.  We went about our normal business except that for the last six days I have had a chimney sweep for a son.  Soot and all.


On all these outings, only one person questioned us while we were in line at a kid's clothing store exchanging something.  A woman in line next to us nearly collapsed from concern and asked me, "Did he fall down?  What are all the bruises on his face from?"  I swear she was reaching for her cell phone, ready to call Child Protective Services.  "Uh, what?"  I'm so completely used to life with a chimney sweep that I was confused and actually looked at my other(clean as a whistle) child first, thinking he probably did have a bruise or two from falling down.  Then finally I explain, "Oh, he is dressed up like a chimney sweep.  That is soot."  The woman laughs with relief.
The best part of living with a chimney sweep though is...

That sometimes just looking at him makes me laugh so hard that I can't even take proper photos and half of my photos wind up like this one below:


But that is okay because he is too busy laughing too.


And laughing...

And laughing...


He makes a mean batch of molasses cookies, which we now have dubbed "Soot Cookies" forever.


We're going on day SIX today and we are even going on a vacation soon.  Will the chimney sweep be joining us?  I wonder how long this will last.  It sure has been fun.

Do you let your kids dress up and go places?  What was the wildest outfit that was paraded in public?

Chimney sweep likely prevents house fire in Kansas City

Wood framing inside chimney

On January 19, 2010 local chimney sweep Gene Padgitt found something odd while getting ready to install a woodburning insert in a 1920's Kansas City, Missouri home. Something that would likely have caused a house fire. The original builder of the home constructed an unlined chimney (a chimney without a clay tile flue liner) and put structural wood members inside the flue.

After Padgitt saw the wood inside the chimney he told the homeowner he had to open up the brick chimney in the attic area to remove the combustibles. There, he found double 2 x 4's on one side and a header on the other side inside the chimney with brick built underneath and on top of the wood. Some of the wood had already been burned away by previous fires unknown to the homeowner, which probably smoldered but did not ignite due to lack of oxygen.

“We see crazy things like this more often than most people realize,” said Padgitt, who is also a State Certified Fire Investigator. “People don't think about the inside of their chimney, and unless a professional chimney sweep inspects it, there is no way of knowing what the condition is. In this case, the house had been standing for 90 years without burning down, but the hazard was there and eventually would have been a serious problem.

Wood chemically changes when exposed to heat over a period of time, allowing it to ignite at a much lower temperature than normal without direct flame. The ignition point of wood is normally 500 degrees, but pyrolized wood can ignite at temperatures as low as 180 degrees. Internal flue gas temperatures of fireplaces can reach up to 400 degrees, but if a chimney fire occurs the temperature will be much higher. Some chimney fires in field testing by the Midwest Chimney Safety Council have caused temperature readings of 2,100 - 2,800 degrees. A masonry chimney will continue to heat up after a chimney fire is out, causing a secondary fire hazard. Often, fire departments are called back to a house several hours after leaving due to combustibles igniting after they extinguished the fire.

Note: Chris Brown warns that most chimney fires go unnoticed by homeowners and damages by fire are found later by a chimney inspector.

Padgitt says that most of the fire hazards he sees having to do with the structure is wood framing placed right next to the exterior of the chimney chase. Code requires 1” clearance for exterior chimneys, and 2” clearance for interior chimneys, but this is often ignored, even in newer homes. The location where it is the biggest problem is right above the opening of the fireplace in front of the smoke chamber, where the facial wall may hide internal combustible wood framing. Most of the house fires he sees start in this area.

Your Chimney Sweep recommends that a Level II internal camera inspection be performed for new homeowners by a  NCCSA  Certified Chimney Sweep.

The Chimney Sweeping Log: Does It Work?

Nothing like a crackling fire for the winter season.

But before you fire up the fireplace, ask yourself, how clean is my chimney? Give it a sweep with the Chimney Sweeping Log! This product is supposed to prevent chimney fires by cleaning it as it burns.

But Does It Work? "From what we've read, it says it will work in masonry fireplaces. This is Butch Weber, his chimney business is named after him. He says the fire hazard come when your chimney builds up a residue called creosote.

The makers say this product is easy to use. All you do is light the log. Sounds easy enough.

This fire gives off a chemical that is supposed to dry out the creosote. Eventually, it will breakaway from the walls' of your fireplace. "We need to let this burn for 90 minutes," we said.

We revisited the log the next day. Butch says the log, if it worked, should show us some results. But we did not see any proof. What we saw was a log that did not burn all the way. "Here are the three previous marks we made. Here's a good creosote spot. Obviously none of it has fallen like the product said it would," says Butch.

So much for the easy way out to cleaning your chimney. "It still needs to be done the old fashioned way with the steel brushes and a vacuum. No miracle cure here yet," said Butch.

Save your $16. Don't let it go up in smoke like we did. The Chimney Sweeping Log doesn't work!

Wedding Services

Thinking of hiring a chimney sweep for

 your wedding service?

Chimney sweeps are a traditional accompaniment to a wedding and are said to bring good luck, fertility and fortune to the bride and groom.The tradition of a chimney sweep bringing the bride and groom luck on their wedding day is one that goes back many years to the reign of King George II.

 The history of the Chimney Sweep

The story goes that as King George II was travelling in his carriage the horse attached to the carriage suddenly became wild and frenzied. The only person brave enough to take action and stop the horse from bolting with the carriage containing King George on it was a local chimney sweep who courageously stepped in and saved the day.

King George was so grateful to the chimney sweep for saving his life that he issued a Royal Decree that all chimney sweeps were to be regarded as bearers of good luck and that chimney sweeps were to be treated with the greatest of respect.

From that day forth the tradition of chimney sweeps being regarded as omens of good luck was established and this is why many couples make the choice to hire a chimney sweep to attend their wedding day.

 What does a chimney sweep do on the Wedding Day?

On you’re wedding day I will arrive in traditional Victorian Style your chimney sweepsweep costume, including the customary chimney sweeps brush, top hat, coat with tails and soot blackened face.

I will allow plenty of time for the bride and groom and also any guests who wish to have a photo opportunity with me.

In order to bestow the Chimney Sweeps good luck I will have a handshake for the groom and a good luck kiss for the bride.

With the power given by the Royal Decree of King George II I will then recite a message of good luck for the future to the bride and groom. I will then present the bride and groom with a personalized certificate and a special gift.

In order to ensure good luck make sure to hire a genuine chimney sweep.

Woman Extracts Raccoon From Chimney With Pole

This is the Second Raccoon Michelle Heyer has found in chimney!

Michelle Heyer was surprised that police responded to her call about a raccoon in her chimney, but they did.
It was the second time a raccoon had been trapped in the chimney of her Bryden Road home, and the first was big enough to crawl out, she said.
But this one could not stretch its arms and legs across the length of the inside of the chimney, where she spotted him Saturday, April 7.
Beachwood Police officers referred her to the animal warden, but she was worried they would kill the animal. So she took matters into her own hands.
Heyer took a long pole and stuck it in her chimney from above, hoping he would crawl out. Then she had to leave for a week on business.
While she was gone, she said, she worried that she would come home to a dead animal.
But the raccoon made it out safely. And now, she said, she plans to get the chimney cover installed. More stories at http://chimneyinfo.net/technobabble/