Copper Ale Warmers are found in various shapes and sizes but the most popular are those of shoe or conical shape. They were thrust into the ambers to prepare a welcome drink for a cold winters night.
Andirons, have been in use since the Middle Ages, when they were made of wrought iron. At that time wood would have been used for both cooking and heating. It is suggested that originally these items were called end-irons which makes sense since they were irons placed at the ends of the fire.
The well-known brass or copper warming pan on a handle was not the only way of warming the bed with embers from the fire. There were also wooden frames designed to hold pots of fuel inside the bedclothes.
Hanging a warming pan near the hearth is not just a decorator's idea. The fireplace was always a sensible place for it, so it could easily be filled with glowing coals or wood embers before being taken away to warm the bed. Using a hot stone or brick heated at the fireside is one way of carrying warmth from the hearth into bed. By the 1500's people were also taking pans filled with smouldering fuel from the fire itself.
Coal scuttles are usually made of metal but wooden varieties are known. There are many shapes and sizes to suit all tastes from vertical cylinder or truncated cone with open top slanted for pouring coal on a fire. It may have one or two handles.
Perhaps the most easily recognisable piece of fire equipment are the long handle fire irons. The ones shown are a set of Georgian cut steel fire irons, but the younger brass ones are the most common. As time went on, the fire irons became smaller and include a brush. These smaller fire tools are called companion sets.
Brass fenders abound and good ones, probably early 1800's imitations can be found. It is of course difficult to determines their age, as the skill of the 1800's makers was very great.
The idea of sitting in front of an open fire toasting bread or buns is appealing.