Bed Warmer Image courtesy of Brain Watkins House Collection, Ref. 2004/0566 |
Image courtesy of Lois Hembrow |
Some warming pans had air holes, which meant that the embers kept smouldering for longer, but the bed would smell of fumes and there was the increased risk of scorching sheets. Warming pans on a handle were designed for moving up and down the bed before somebody got into it.
If you didn’t want to stand in a cold bedroom moving the warming pan up and down, you might have a ‘bed wagon’ The photo above shows an odd-looking contrivance, generally used on farms, and in a large bed This particular one is three foot long, but they were often larger. The timber is oak, light and strong. Hot embers are dropped on to the trivet, which stands on a sheet-iron tray. Anther sheet of iron is fixed to the woodwork above the fire, so there is no danger of burning the bed.
The sample of the bed warmer in the B_W Collection is a china one, and would have contained hot water. (as shown) It has no manufacturers mark, and possibly began to replace the metal ones in the mid-19th century.
Bed Warmers Image courtesy of Julie Green |
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