Before the invention of central heating, people stayed warm in different ways. Beds were piled high with down comforters, and children slept several to a bed. During the night, people wore heavy clothing, including stocking caps to keep their heads from losing heat. Bed curtains were also used as additional layers of insulation, especially in the winter. These additional layers of fabric also helped keep the body warm.
Houses were cold and uninsulated in the past. Peasants used fire pits to keep warm. The smoke from the fire would blow through the hole in the roof. This system was inefficient and made it difficult for the people to stay warm. The only other way to keep warm was to gather wood or to use a wood stove. People also used soapstones or a hot water bottle to keep themselves warm. Bedwarmers made of metal held hot coals.
Homes without central heating also relied on the kitchen. A fireplace was often the focus of a living room. Family members would gather around the fire and read stories together. In some places, people lived in small houses with just one or two rooms. Houses with fireplaces would have two or more rooms, but not in all. The wealthy might have a fireplace in a few rooms. Some homes even had one in every room!
Before the advent of central heating, people used to bundle themselves and their pets against cold weather. Some people still use the methods of the past to stay warm. People did not have the luxury of modern conveniences, but they made do with ingenious ways to stay warm. Make sure you’re not left with your creature comforts when it gets cold. Consider Boiler Repair Cheltenham from a site like www.blu-fish.co.uk/gas-heating-services-cheltenham/boiler-repair-cheltenham/
In the past, homes had few windows, and they were often small. Fireplaces also tended to be placed in a single room, which is why the room was called the ‘living room’ as this is where family members would congregate in the warmth.
In ancient Roman times, a more expensive solution was to build underfloor heating. Hypocaust furnaces, which were more commonly found in public baths, forced heat into hollow chambers between the floor and the ground and up pipes in the walls. The heat from these furnaces heated the room, forming the world’s first central heating. During the Roman Empire, the majority of the population still relied on portable braziers, which had handles and feet to protect the floor.
