"My childhood was the early 80s and there were more sweeps around back then. That’s all changed now, of course, the pits have disappeared and there are just a handful of sweeps. It was the main source of heating and that meant there were hundreds of chimney sweeps in Liverpool. My other grandad, Richard, was a coal miner and worked the South Lancashire Coalfields.Ī Mrs Charlotte Bursnall, one of just a few women chimney sweeps, seen here in conversation with a fellow sweep. As part of our Liverpool ECHO How It Used To Be series, we spoke to David about the history of the trade and how services are booming in the city.ĭavid, 43, told the ECHO: "My mum, Enid, lived on Holmes Street, Toxteth, in the 1950s and it was her job to help look after the coal fire and get it ready for my grandad, Jim, when he came home from work.
'You haven’t lived if you haven’t baked' Liverpool's little known delicacyĭavid, from Billinge, started Mr Soot Chimney Sweep back in 2016 as a one-man band and has seen the business become a rapidly expanding operation.
Snapshot of Liverpool life when there was last a coronation in 1953.But for David Sudworth, owner of Mr Soot Chimney Sweep, Liverpudlians are "flocking back" to open coal fires and wood burners. Through the generations, we've seen a decline in the trade, with many households converting to heat up their homes with gas.
For many, it wasn't unusual growing up spot a 'sweep' shaking the hand of a neighbour for good luck or their brush popping out of a nearby chimney. It’s one of the oldest trades in the city - and decades ago, chimney sweeps were familiar sights on the streets of Liverpool and beyond. A Liverpool trade that's "not seen day to day" is making a comeback in the city.
0 kommentar(er)
