Marion Sauvebois meets members of Swindon’s Master Chimney Sweeps... and finds they they are far from the malnourished sooty street children of old

ANY allusion to the lowly chimney sweep conjures images of scraggy Dickensian boys, caked in a thick layer of soot toting sorry-looking tufted brushes. And for centuries this sombre description was not far off the mark.

Orphans, skeletal vagrants and paupers known as ‘climbing boys’ were ruthlessly exploited by masters who sent them shimmying up flues to scour grime, where most eventually got jammed, suffocated, or worse, burned to death.

Fast forward to 2016 and it is another story altogether, far too drudgery-free to appeal to Dickens’ sense of social injustice. Swindon’s immaculately dressed and decidedly not scrawny Master Chimney Sweeps, Jonathan Huband and Ali Swainston, bear little resemblance to their half-starved forebears.

It should come as no surprise that since the 18th century working conditions have hugely improved for the humble sweep, thanks mainly to stringent child labour laws and the Human Rights Act.

But the Victorian cliché lives on and modern chimney sweeps still have to contend with their profession’s unsavoury legacy and the public’s outdated notion of the Oliver Twist type.

“That’s what films do for you,” said Ali, from North Swindon, who owns Isis Chimney Care.

“But it’s true that’s what it was like. Children would go up chimneys and get stuckdy, suffocate and die.

"You would not believe how long it took to invent a proper brush and pole. Back in the days of Oliver Twist they would use a little hand brush or scraper. Nowadays we don’t need children, we just push the brush and pole all the way to the top.”

Jonathan smiles broadly: “Some people have called me ‘Sooty’ but I don’t get offended. People think of it as old-fashioned. You have to take it with a pinch of salt. There’s history behind it.”

Chimney sweeping dates back to the 13th century, when chimneys replaced the open fire burning in the middle of the one room house.

The profession experienced a boom during the industrial revolution fuelled by the growing demand for coal production.

Boys as young as four climbed up hot flues that could be as narrow as 81 square inches. It is believed as many as 1,000 sweeps scoured London chimneys at any one time.

As soot is a carcinogen, and as the boys slept under soot sacks, they were prone to Chimney Sweeps' Cancer – if they did not perish in the flue first.

From the 1770s onwards growing concern for their welfare prompted Parliament to curb and eventually, a century later, put an end their exploitation.

Sparing children an untimely death is not the only welcome change the industry has experienced over the years.

Like every skilled trade, it is represented by professional organisations, including The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps – to which Ali and Jonathan belong – whose members must abide by a strict set of rules, regulations and a safety (and moral) code. The pair are the guild’s only two members in and around Swindon.

The work itself has remained virtually unaffected by the passage of time: As long as wood burns, there will be soot to clear. But the techniques, health and safety protocol and panoply of vacuums and specialist tools have evolved beyond recognition – except perhaps for the standard brush.

With the resurgence of the fire place (fuelled by anything from wood and coal to gas) as a decorative touch in new-builds and the growing trend for old-fashioned agas or stoves – all in need of frequent servicing – chimney sweeping has experienced something of a revival in recent years.

Although few people still equate owning a fire place with the need for regular sweeping. Probably because many believe the profession has died out.

“There is this misconception that things like stoves don’t need to be swept or that because the appliances are new they don’t need maintenance but it’s not true and you have to make sure the nasty deposits don’t catch fire,” said Jonathan, 55, who launched Chimney Sweeping Company in Cricklade with the help of his wife Jacqui a year ago.

Sweeping is not merely about cleaning or keeping dirt from tumbling down in one giant cloud on to your lovely cream carpet.

First and foremost it is about safety, preventing major fires or carbon monoxide poisoning.

An amateur scraping job carried out by a cowboy sweeper and your house could quite literally go up in flames. Oddly, and not unlike the free-for-all olden days when every child could pick a brush and get to work, there are no set Government regulations or qualification for chimney sweeping. Which is where the Guild comes into play.

The body was founded in 1993 by professionals from various sweeping organisations to offer a formal City and Guilds qualification and train the next generation of chimney sweeps.

Both Ali and Jonathan, who fell into the sweeping game six years and 12 months ago respectively – were put through their paces during the intensive guild training.

Sweeps are expected to know everything from building regulations to insurance and installation requirements.

And, if a diploma was not enough, they are required to stay on top of the latest technology, new wood burner models and take a refresher course every five years.

“It’s all about health and safety,”Ali, a former country park ranger. “Removing sootsuit is important because it can catch fire. And if it develops of blockage it can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Jonathan, who left his job as a plant and vehicle engineer to retrain as a chimney sweep, said: “There is a lot of responsibility. It’s not a matter of rocking up and sweeping. People’s lives are at stake. You want to make sure you do the job correctly, armed with the right knowledge. Everything has to be done by the book. And you never stop learning.”

But it’s not all about soot and brushes. In fact both men were drawn to the trade by their love of architecture and history, particularly Ali.

Sweeping was his free pass into our region’s grandest piles and historic houses.

“I love old buildings, I always have,” said Ali. “I spend far too much time talking to the owners about their houses and fire places than I do sweeping their chimneys.

"I worked at Buckland House, a stately home in Devon with 27 chimneys once. I also work at Hatherop Castle; they have a 24m long fireplace in the hall. It’s the longest chimney I’ve done.

"It’s one of these jobs people looking from the outside would think is mundane and monotonous but it’s not. You see such beautiful places. Every day and every building is different.”

n To get in touch with Ali call 07729 834864 or email aliswainston@gmail.com.

To speak to Jonathan email chimneysweepingco@yahoo.co.uk or call 07768 028443.