Chimney Design Evolution Over 40 Years

Chimneys are a part of many UK houses – often still integral to the heating of the home. Mike Heads looks into how chimney design has developed over forty years as well as the process involved in testing their condition.
In the 1960s very few people could afford the installation cost of central heating and fireplaces in every room, including the bedrooms, were used to heat a building in the winter. The most popular fuel at the time was solid fuel – the Clean Air Act of 1956 meant people started to use smokeless fuels in the form of anthracite and coke. This fuel needed a large chimney – often referred to as a 9″ 3 9″ (225mm 3 225mm) brick. Each day it had to be cleaned to remove ash and clinker.
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