Skip to main content

Rumford

The Rumford is a much more efficient way to heat a room than earlier fireplaces....
(Wikipedia on Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, designer of tall, shallow fireplaces which are now known as the Rumford, was an Anglo-American physicist known for his investigations of heat)
Living in the tropics, I have been in close proximity with only three fireplaces in my life. There was an unused one in the home of my college professor in the Philippines. The other one from which I could feel the heat and see the fire dancing was in a hotel lobby in the Yorkshire Moors. Picture taking was quick. Two old ladies were having tea by it, but that was my first ever real fireplace experience, and I loved it. The latest I have touched is the one in Jane Austen's imaginary Northanger Abbey.
The fireplace, where she had expected the ample width and ponderous carvings of former times, was contracted to a Rumford, with slabs of plain though handsome marbles, and ornament over it of the prettiest English china.
Fireplaces. What charming spots they are!


This post is linked with ABC Wednesday.
Labels:

Comments

  1. photowannabeNovember 15, 2011 at 11:57 PM

    Never really thought about people not being around fireplaces. It really is a cozy thing. Love your shot of this one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CarverNovember 16, 2011 at 12:19 AM

    Interesting post about the Rumford. I need to get a chimney sweep in as my fireplace isn't drawing well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RajeshNovember 16, 2011 at 12:43 AM

    I have never experienced a fire place so far.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Roger Owen GreenNovember 16, 2011 at 1:28 AM

    We have a non-working fireplace. Meh.
    This one's nice, though.
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

    ReplyDelete
  5. anthonynorthNovember 16, 2011 at 1:38 AM

    Oh, I'm used to fireplaces. I was born and bred just off those Yorkshire Moors.
    Great words.

    ReplyDelete
  6. VioletSkyNovember 16, 2011 at 1:43 AM

    I've always wanted to live in a house with a fireplace. Central heating is very good, but you can't look at the vents and dream....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Meryl Jaffe, PhDNovember 16, 2011 at 2:02 AM

    That is a beautiful fireplace. It oozes warmth. I love fireplaces and tending the fires in them. Alas, we moved and have no fireplace...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jo BryantNovember 16, 2011 at 4:46 AM

    great post - never heard of these before

    ReplyDelete
  9. BerowneNovember 16, 2011 at 5:09 AM

    Which one did Santa come down? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Meryl Jaffe, PhDNovember 16, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    Hi Hazel. Thanks for your comment on my blog post. I also wrestled with my son (who also didn't like going to school) - whether to homeschool him. In the end, I decided not to. I took A LOT of time looking into the schools in our town. I found two GREAT ones (elementary and high school) - middle school was horrible. I wish you a lot of luck and if you want to talk about options, I'd love to hear about it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. chubskulitNovember 16, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Wow sis, dami mong stored knowledge hehehe.

    Rosary Beads

    Join ka uli sa Nostalgia bukas, mwah!

    ReplyDelete
  12. jillNovember 17, 2011 at 12:25 AM

    Hi,Im sat infront of mine now as I type this to you and in North yorkshire.Love Jill xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. HazelNovember 17, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    Awww how lovely, and very nostalgic for me. Thank you Jill xxx

    ReplyDelete
  14. mrsnesbittNovember 17, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    I too am by my burner - log burning Rayburn, also in North Yorkshire! How funny! lol!
    Thanks so much
    Denise ABC Team

    ReplyDelete
  15. HazelNovember 18, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    Wow this is getting cozier :) Thank you Mrs Nesbitt.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming up a surprise

A lovely week my friends! I give you sunrise from the world's largest religious monument - Angkor Wat and a quiet spot from the chili patches Some days this week were bittersweet. But I'm loving the joys and faves: This goodbye is not forever . Someone dear to me is away for a couple of days. On call for an important politician, he does not know when is he returning to base. Communication to the outside is quite restricted. Then out of the blue he sent word saying he was making use of what internet access was allowed 'along palace perimeter...' and then he was gone. But I'm glad he tried to reach me. Monuments Men . Those art pieces! They took my breath away. The Valley is a friend's short story which he asked me to edit for an alumni newsletter. I was hesitant; warned him I might unwittingly ruin it. My mind went back to that article I wrote 19 years ago. It was too late when I realized how unnecessarily sentimental it sounded; it was already...
26 comments
Read more

Boracay

Boracay is a resort island in the Philippines, administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority and the province where it belongs - Aklan. The island is approximately 196 miles south of Manila. I visited it on a whim in 2013, a year after it was awarded, among several other awards, the best island  in the world by Travel + Leisure, an international travel magazine. "Apart from its white sand beaches, Boracay is also famous for being one of the world's top destinations for relaxation. It is also emerging among the top destinations for tranquility and nightlife." (Wikipedia)   Ruby Tuesday Blue Monday  xxx Mellow Yellows   xxx Linking with ABC WEDNESDAY
21 comments
Read more

Those charming moments

Skywatch : city is far behind and I'm loving it! Reflections : serenade I buy books just because.... My not-so-old hat from the antiques section of a weekend market  A little yummy error Maybe I had more of those charming moments this week than the other weeks. I'm thankful. Swiss sheep farm . Anything that takes me out of sight of urbanization, rising concrete (condos) and drab parking spaces - I'm in. What a treat for the country girl in me! Somewhere out there   beneath the pale moonlight... . It's not everyday you get serenaded. I appreciated it. A lot. The Heart Garden, Eating People is Wrong , etc: my loot from Neilson Hays book sale. Knockoff prices, old plus beautiful library architecture - just my kind of awesome. Antiques therapy . My apartment is bursting I could hardly navigate the floor without my feet touching things so I didn't buy a truckload this week. Just the one hat. Thanks to the shining sun I had an ...
22 comments
Read more