Heating in the eighteenth century

The art of heating in the eighteenth century

These are the coldest days of the year and for most of us, heating our homes is a simple matter. But that was not always the case. Heating used to be hard work, because every room had its own heat source. You can see this clearly in the Merghelynck Museum, which has no fewer than thirteen open fireplaces.

Each fireplace is unique, but there are also common features. For example, almost all of them are made of typical Belgian marble. In the former Austrian Netherlands, to which our regions belonged in the 18th century, marble was an important and chic export product. Equally typical of Belgium are the “Boomse klompjes” (Boom clogs), which are built into the interior of several fireplaces. You can see them on both the back wall and the hearth. These blue-grey-black fireplace clogs are named after the brick-making municipality of Boom. They were hard-baked and are therefore fireproof. Other fireplaces are completely or partially lined with cast iron fireplace plates decorated with motifs and scenes.

The logs do not simply rest on the fire platform, but on so-called fire trestles. This made it easier to stoke the fire. The fire trestles are also usually made of cast iron and were artistically crafted according to the fashion of the time.

The fireplace was accompanied by a fire screen to safely store the glowing embers at night. With a bit of luck, the embers would still be glowing in the early morning and the fire could be rekindled.

A remarkable object in the Merghelynck Museum is the small “pare-feu”, also known as a face shield or fire screen. This elegant accessory was used to protect the face from the intense heat of the fire. The last thing a noble lady wanted in the eighteenth century was red cheeks. That was for those who worked on the land. No, madam wanted to remain as pale as possible. Even near the cosy fireside.