Here we are sweeping again for the Bishop of Chelmsford in the lovely Essex village of Great Maplestead. Fortunately, we had some time to enjoy the historic medieval church of St Giles following the sweep, it is a real Gem. Remarkably, both Great and Little Maplestead churches have surviving Norman apses. Great Maplestead also has a hefty Norman west tower. Oddly, the bits in between are later. The choir which is between the nave and the apse was rebuilt in the Thirteenth century as evidenced by a couple of lancet windows on the north side. It is odd that the apse was kept but we can be very grateful for that.

In the fourteenth century a south aisle was added with, so it is averred, a south “transept”, although the transept is the same depth as the aisle so it might be more accurately have been described as a chapel. In any event, in the seventeenth century it was extended southwards to make space for the Deane family tombs that are the highlight of the interior and thus became a transept as we might expect to see one. The north side is completely Victorian apart from the choir wall, as is the south porch. The arch between apse and choir is the original Norman. Its underside is adorned with five painted roundels of 1566. Four represent the Evangelists and the fifth is a cross. The chancel arch is fourteenth century and contemporary with the rebuilding of the choir.

The Early English chancel arch is enormous compared to the tiny one that separates it from the apse. To the right, and hardly separated from the south aisle,  is the south transept with the Denny monuments. Sir John Deane’s monument is in the east wall of the north transept. Jon was a minor worthy, serving Essex as Sheriff, Lieutenant and MP for the county before his death. For his place in society as a minor gentleman he was a very wealthy man, having benefited from some hefty inheritances. He clutches what seems to be some sort of staff of office, not a sword which is presumably behind his body. There is no suggestion that he wore his fine armour in any kind of warfare! His wife, Anne Drury, outlived him by eight years and she does not appear on this monument but had one erected for her sole benefit (below). The space above the monument shows his two sons and six daughters. It is suggested that he enjoyed the support of Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick who held the manor at Braintree. If so, this might explain the appearance of a bear at Sir John’s feet, this being the symbol of Warwick.

Being dog owners, this is always something that always makes me and Claire smile, a dog who loves our dust sheets! I believe that they think in their heads that we have come just see them, put out some nice bedding for them and make big fuss of them. This is Bell who lives in Meldreth, as can be seen she is a black Labrador and her favourite past time is to show you her toy, which I think was a monkey! There is nothing like a dog to put a smile on your face, loyal, great company and an integral part of any family home.

Here is something new that I saw whilst sweeping in Monk Street Thaxted recently, the new model Woodwarm Fireview 5 Eco Multi-Fuel Stove. I think they look slightly more sleeker and contemporary than the old model Fireview’s. They dismantle slightly differently than the old fireviews, but not dramatically, so it is still relatively easy to access the flue, provided you know what you are doing. The customer is more than happy with its performance, which is the main thing.

Woodwarm are based in Devon close to Exeter, its funny how there are many stove manufacturers based in the West Country:

The Workshop,
Wheatcroft Farm,
Cullompton,
Exeter,
Devon EX15 1RA

0188435806

https://woodwarmstoves.co.uk/

The manufactures are actually called; Metal Developments Ltd and it is their range of stoves that are termed Woodwarm. The company make a range of stoves, notably the: Phenix, Fireview, Wildwood, Foxfire, and the Kalido Gas.

The companies blurb on their website stresses a concern for environmental issues: Here at Woodwarm we have dedicated over 30 years of production to our customers and very experienced dealers and fitters to tell us what you want from your home fire. We pride ourselves on the ability to respond to both customer needs and government legislations while using cutting edge technology to ensure reliability and workmanship throughout. We strongly believe that it is thanks to our immensely hard-working sales outlets that we have become a market leader in Clean Burning Wood and Multi Fuel heating.

We are very lucky to be located in the beautiful Devon countryside. Environmental issues are always foremost in our minds; we cannot afford to ignore the evidence of global warming. Wood is a sustainable fuel boasting the fact that it also carbon neutral, for this reason we have developed the Wildwood range, a dedicated wood burner range that does not drain the planet of its rich resources. “Please see our environmental policy for our commitments to the future”

Why Woodwarm? We are not the cheapest fire on the market this we are the first to admit, we cannot compete with the mass-produced meaningless market, and so because of this we won’t. Some of our fires are still in use some 30 years on, what else do you have that’s still working at 30 years old? We know how to keep the glass clean, even overnight, we know how to get the maximum use from your fuel, we are unrivalled in our boiler, canopy, fuel, colour, leg, handles, plinth, pedestal, options because we are hand-made here in the UK. You will buy a house for comfort and as an investment, your choice in a stove should be the same.

Here is another in my series of blogs entitled ‘life at the coalface’ – In this blog I will be looking at soot collection traps and how to empty them. Soot collection traps in the main are found in two different types of chimneys. Firstly, they can be found at the business end of the old Baxi open fires, with usually a brick or lined chimney above it. The soot collection trap is accessed either by opening an external inspection door and drawing out the soot tray, or by removing the split grate from the hearth and lifting out the soot collection tray. Secondly, soot collection traps can be positioned at the base of some factory-made chimneys, positioned in a drop or T-Piece below where the flue from the appliance enters the chimney.  Factory made chimneys have the appearance of metal tubes running up the outside of the property. The soot collection traps for factory-made chimneys are usually secured by some form of spring clip, which is removed to release the trap. The trap can then be cleaned and emptied – I usually hold a trug under the soot collection trap whilst I am removing it, to catch the soot that may be sitting at the bottom of the chimney. This procedure is obviously done once the chimney has been swept, to remove all the swept material from the trap. In the photograph, I can be seen releasing the spring clip holding the soot collection trap in place, prior to removing it. I will then put my face mask on and position a trug directly below the soot trap to collect the material in the trap. I then gently remove the plug and empty the contents into the try – Job done! Well after refitting the plug and spring clip.

Here is something interesting, and a real rarity, an old, retro Wiking Bazic Wood-Burning stove. I see a lot of the more modern models of the Wiking stoves around the area, like the various models of the Luma, and the Mini, but I have never come across one of these older discontinued models of the Wiking stove company. I came across this example of a Wiking Bazic Wood-Burning stove at an address in Radwinter. Funnily enough, the customer is going to have the Wiking stove taken out and changed to a more contemporary, new stove. Goddard’s stoves in Saffron Walden will be doing the work for him, although he could not remember what make and model the new stove is going to be. He said that he was changing the stove because he felt that he just wanted a different, newer stove, and not because the Wiking stove didn’t perform well. In fact, he said that the Wiking stove was indeed a very efficient stove and that he intended to sell it as second-hand.

 I had to laugh when I saw this thatched dog running off with the sausages on the roof of an address in Great Chesterford, opposite where we were working. I thought that it would make an excellent and funny entry on my weekly chimney sweeping blog. I have seen a very similar thatched dog with sausages on a roof in Balsham, I really must take a photo of that one to compare it with the Great Chesterford example, the next time I’m working in Balsham. I think the Balsham example is on the thatched roof of a coffee shop, that used to be the village butchers’ shop, I will confirm this!

I couldn’t find any poems about the dog running off with the sausages, but I did find a funny poem about a sausage dog:

There once was a dog that was German,
whose legs didn’t grow quite as much as his sternum,
but this little guy was more than determined,
his personality was bold, stubborn and unconfined,
this Doxin never ever had a bedtime,
those pancake paws tackled each and every climb,
A pair of long bouncing ears and a spring for a spine,
always chasing and running behind,
you are my ween, and forever will be mine.

On some days we work in an area away from our usual patch around Saffron Walden and Haverhil. Thursday last week was just such a day, when we were working in and around Royston. Our first job of the day was in Littlington and the second job was in Gilden Morden. Driving between these two villages we saw the impressive memorial in the photo. This is the memorial to the 355^th Fighter Group that was stationed at Gilden Morden from July 1943 to July 1945 during World War II. The spinner and propeller on the memorial are from a P-51 Mustang.

RAF Bomber Command use

Between 1940 and September 1942, Steeple Morden was a grass satellite dispersal airfield used by No. 11 Operational Training Unit of RAF Bomber Command flying Vickers Wellingtons from RAF Bassingbourn. During this time No. 3 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (OTU) also used the airfield.

USAAF use

When the airfield was turned over for American use, Steeple Morden was assigned USAAF designation Station 122. Hard-surface runways were laid down, along with concrete hardstands and a permanent T-2 hangar.

 3d Photographic Reconnaissance Group

Although not planned for use until 1943 Steeple Morden was first used by the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force 3d Photographic Reconnaissance Group, arriving from RAF Membury on 16 October 1942. The 3d consisted of the 5th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 23d squadrons and only stayed at the airfield until 10 December, departing for La Senia Algeria as part of Operation Torch. During the stay of the 3d PRG, Lieutenant-Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt served as commander and also flew an F-4 “Lightning”.

Between January 1943 and May 1943 the airfield was used by No. 17 OTU which used Bristol Blenheims.

 355th Fighter Group

With the departure of the photo-recon squadrons, the 355th Fighter Group, arrived from Philadelphia Municipal Airport on 9 July 1943.^[6] The group was under the command of the 65th Fighter Wing of the VIII Fighter Command. Aircraft of the group were identified by white around their cowling and tail.

The group consisted of the following squadrons:

• 354th Fighter Squadron (WR)
• 357th Fighter Squadron (OS)
• 358th Fighter Squadron (YF)

The 355th FG flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep over Belgium, on 14 September 1943 and afterwards served primarily as escort for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress/Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked industrial areas of Berlin, marshalling yards at Karlsruhe, an airfield at Neuberg, oil refineries at Misburg, synthetic oil plants at Gelsenkirchen, locks at Minden, and other objectives. The group also flew fighter sweeps, area patrols, and bombing missions, striking such targets as air parks, locomotives, bridges, radio stations, and armoured cars.

On 5 April 1944, shortly after converting from Republic P-47 Thunderbolts to North American P-51 Mustangs, the group successfully bombed and strafed German airfields during a snow squall, a mission for which the group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. The group provided fighter cover for Allied forces landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and afterwards hit transportation facilities to cut enemy supply lines. Hit fuel dumps, locomotives, and other targets in support of ground forces during the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July.

The 355th Fighter Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945. On 3 July the group transferred to Gablingen, Germany for duty with United States Air Forces in Europe as part of the army of occupation. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to Mitchel Field New York on 1 August 1946, and was inactivated on 20 November.

Here we are sweeping again for the Bishop of Chelmsford in the lovely Essex village of Great Maplestead. Fortunately, we had some time to enjoy the historic medieval church of St Giles following the sweep, it is a real Gem. Remarkably, both Great and Little Maplestead churches have surviving Norman apses. Great Maplestead also has a hefty Norman west tower. Oddly, the bits in between are later. The choir which is between the nave and the apse was rebuilt in the Thirteenth century as evidenced by a couple of lancet windows on the north side. It is odd that the apse was kept but we can be very grateful for that.

In the fourteenth century a south aisle was added with, so it is averred, a south “transept”, although the transept is the same depth as the aisle so it might be more accurately have been described as a chapel. In any event, in the seventeenth century it was extended southwards to make space for the Deane family tombs that are the highlight of the interior and thus became a transept as we might expect to see one. The north side is completely Victorian apart from the choir wall, as is the south porch. The arch between apse and choir is the original Norman. Its underside is adorned with five painted roundels of 1566. Four represent the Evangelists and the fifth is a cross. The chancel arch is fourteenth century and contemporary with the rebuilding of the choir.

The Early English chancel arch is enormous compared to the tiny one that separates it from the apse. To the right, and hardly separated from the south aisle,  is the south transept with the Denny monuments. Sir John Deane’s monument is in the east wall of the north transept. Jon was a minor worthy, serving Essex as Sheriff, Lieutenant and MP for the county before his death. For his place in society as a minor gentleman he was a very wealthy man, having benefited from some hefty inheritances. He clutches what seems to be some sort of staff of office, not a sword which is presumably behind his body. There is no suggestion that he wore his fine armour in any kind of warfare! His wife, Anne Drury, outlived him by eight years and she does not appear on this monument but had one erected for her sole benefit (below). The space above the monument shows his two sons and six daughters. It is suggested that he enjoyed the support of Sir Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick who held the manor at Braintree. If so, this might explain the appearance of a bear at Sir John’s feet, this being the symbol of Warwick.

Yes, as I have said before, doggies just love our dust sheets, whether it is lying on them, sniffing them or playing with them, they just can’t resist our dustsheets. If there is a dog or dogs in the house no sooner have we laid out the sheets they will appear, sniffing them, sitting on them or laying on them. Clearly, we have laid out the sheets just for them and for no other purpose. This Boarder Terrier is a little girl called Indie, she is ever so friendly and loves playing with her little rubber ball. Although we found out that she doesn’t like going outside when it is cold!! Just like the day we visited!!

I am starting to come across a small number of these Jydepejsen Wood-Burning Stove, this example is an Jydepejsen Avanti Wood-Burning Stove. I swept another example of this very same stove on a factory made chimney in Wethersfiels just the other day. It looks like one of the local installers has started fitting them, but I don’t know who the installer is. They make a wide range of stoves, their stove models include; Bella, Cosmo, Country, Cozy, Cubic, Elegance, Mido, Omega, Orion, Panorama, Senza, Troja and Zeta. Looking at their website, it would appear that the Avanti model is no longer in production, even though it has a very modern contemporary look and is a very stylish efficient stove. Having said this the whole of the Jydepejsen range of stoves looks ultra contemporary and very stylish as well as being very ecofriendly and efficient.

Jydepejsen are based in Denmarl and have been manufacturing stoves since 1979. There company blurb reads as follows: Jydepejsen A/S has created innovative and exceptional Danish wood-burning stoves for more than 40 years. Jydepejsen is 100% Danish and our wood-burning stoves are designed by recognised Danish architects and furniture designers who create products that are out of the ordinary. Our wood-burning stoves have a stylish design focusing on easy operation and environment friendliness.

Jydepejsen A/S

Ahornsvinget 3-7,

Near Felding

DK-7500 Holstebro

Denmark

T +45 96101200

info@jydepejsen.dk

https://www.jydepejsen.com/en/meet-our-designers