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Start the Year Right with Some Crazy Chimney Sweep Trivia Facts

by | Dec 29, 2017 | Chimney Cleaning

You may think that every chimney sweep is serious and dedicated to their job…

While that is true, we do love ourselves a clean and safe chimney, we also have a lighter side. That side loves to share trivia facts that are interesting and unusual.

Here are 7 crazy chimney sweep trivia facts that will help you start the new year right:

  1. Today’s cleaning brush design is the same as the one that was invented by Joseph Glass. He had to create something to clean chimneys after climbing boys were forbidden to do the job in England in 1864. There is one distinct difference though. Back then, the brushes were made of whalebone and not nylon or polypropylene like they are today.
  2. There are two legends as to why every chimney sweep used to wear a top hat and tails. The first one is that these chimney sweeps received the cast-offs from funeral directors and since they were black, they didn’t show the dirt from the chimney. The other legend states that King William of Britain was saved by a chimney sweep in 1066. The King then declared that chimney sweeps were lucky and designated them the ability to wear the top hats and tails that were reserved for royalty.
  3. For years, pigs played a prominent role with the good luck that chimney sweeps brought to a town. On New Year’s Day, chimney sweeps would carry a pig up and down the streets and people would pay to pull a hair off the pig while making a wish.
  4. Chimney sweeps are also lucky on wedding days, and for quite some time, couples would hope to encounter one on their special day. While just spotting one was good luck, shaking their hand or having a chimney sweep kiss the bride was even better.
  5. Spazzacamini is the international gathering that is held every year in Santa Maria Maggiore, Italy for chimney sweeps. This is where they honor all the climbing boys who used to enter the chimneys with cleaning brushes, before this practice was banned.
  6. The largest chimney sweep in the entire world can be found in McPherson, Kansas. The massive chimney sweep used to be a statue of a baker holding a wooden spoon until the owner of a chimney sweep company renovated it.

We hope that you enjoyed these crazy chimney sweep facts as much as we enjoyed researching them! They show that we have done more than clean chimneys over the years, while still being a prominent part of everyone’s lives.

Fireplace Safety and Chimney Inspections in Edgemont

We have two CSIA Certified chimney sweeps standing by to assist you with your chimney needs. Give us a call at 610-626-2439 to schedule an appointment for a chimney inspection or cleaning. We provide chimney services throughout the Main Line region.