In Praise of Clothes

As we debate the cost of fuel and fear death by hypothermia, I recall my youth when people usually had just one room heated by a coal fire. In the Winter we lived almost exclusively in one room, the back room dowstairs, chosen because the fire there also heated the hot water tank. It contained a dining table and chairs, and a couple of easy chairs for the parents. I used the dining room table for my homework and often lay on the floor when reading. The front room contained a settee and two matching arm chairs. That room was used mainly in the Summer though on special occasions when we were entertainingg a second fire would be lit there.

We survived because we wore lots of clothes. Indoors I used to wear a vest, a shirt and a jacket. In cold weather I also wore a pullover. Nowadays many people wear just a a short sleeved shirt or t-shirt on their upper halves.

At school the classroom was heated by a coke stove with a leaky chimney so there was always a sulphurous odour in the room. In cold weather we were sometimes told to wear our overcoats in the classroom. I remember overhearing a conversation between two members of staff. Apparently the legal minimum temperature for a classroom was 60 degrees Fahrenweit - about 15 C - but on the day in question it was only 43 F - about 6 C - that was one of the days we wore our overcoats!!