Keep the Home Fires Burning

Heating the houses in the early years

An advertisement from 1936

Wallington and Carshalton Times

For many years the residents used coal for most of their heating. It was delivered by horse and cart and later by lorry. Due to the design of the houses, it wasn't easy for the coal to be delivered. 

As you went into the house, there was a little porch which was just a little square with a doormat and if you had coal delivered it had to come in through that door and then the coalman had to walk through the living room door to get to the coal cellar under the stairs. And everything had to be delivered like that.   (Peggy Hooper née Triggs)

Barry Hackett's mother made sure she got a fair deal from the coalmen.

Coal used to be delivered by sack you know and the lorry would come round or even earlier with a horse and cart, they would come round with it. I always remember my mum saying, "Coalman's coming today.  Make sure you count the bags." 'Cause often they would say they'd put in three bags and they'd only put in two.  I always remember that. And my mum used to say "Make sure you shut all the doors.  Don't want all this coal dust going everywhere". The coal fires we used to have used to create the smog. The smog sometimes was dreadful  you know but obviously that's all changed now because everybody's gone away from them types of fires.

Cold mornings, cold bedrooms

Until the fire was lit in the morning, the house was very cold and the bedrooms were always freezing.  A lot of people remember the ice on the inside of their windows in the winter.