Chimney Sweep services in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire

We all need tradesmen from time to time! Gas and boiler services, mobile mechanics, electricians, gardeners and window cleaners are the most common services homeowners require, but chimney sweeps are a must for anyone who owns an open fire or any appliance that makes use of a chimney.

Ansell Chimneys service many properties throughout the Home Counties and Bricket Wood is a regular destination for our team of professional chimney sweeps.

Where is Bricket Wood?

Bricket Wood is a lovely little village in Hertfordshire, just over four miles south of the ancient Roman town of St Albans and a similar distance north-northeast of Watford.

Bricket Wood history

The area of Bricket Wood was mostly occupied by farmers until Bricket Wood railway station was built back in 1861. In 1889 brothers Henry Gray and William Gray purchased a significant amount of land in the area and built Woodside Retreat Fairground. The fairground attracted many thousands of visitors to the area from London and nearby towns and a small village developed around the station. In 1923, a rival fairground named Joyland was built nearby by R.B Christmas. Both resorts were closed in 1929, Christmas used his leftover land for building bungalows to house local residents.

During the 1930s Bricket Wood became popular with naturists after Charles Macaskie set up the naturist camp Spielplatz on the outskirts of the village. Naturists bought up plots of land on the edge of the village and built their own communities, which at first didn't have electricity or running water. The village also began to attract Wiccans after Gerald Gardner set up Bricket Wood coven.

The naturists of Bricket Wood

Spielplatz was founded in 1929 by Charles Macaskie and his wife Dorothy. They moved from London into a tent on an area of unused woodland they purchased near Bricket Wood. They called their utopian camp the Green Monastery and a Play Place, in German, Spielplatz.

They were joined by other couples and individuals on weekends. Among their visitors until 1947 was Ross Nichols, founder of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. In turn he attracted both fellow Druids and Gerald Gardner, who later established his first coven at Bricket Wood in his development of Wicca as a modern religion.

It was at Spielplatz that Ross Nichols first met Gerald Gardner. Spielplatz has featured in television and films such as Naked as Nature Intended, broadcast in 1961, starring club member Pamela Green, Nudist Memories, from 1959 and Confetti, from 2006.

In 1957 the documentary series Out of Step on ITV, the investigative reporter Dan Farson visited Spielplatz Naturist Club in Bricket Wood and interviewed Charles Macaskie, Mrs. Macaskie, and their daughter Iseult. It is claimed the programme was the first showing of a naked woman on British television.

The Wicca movement in Bricket Wood

Wicca is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practices.

Wicca is typically duo theistic, worshipping and working with a Goddess and a God. These are traditionally viewed as the Triple Goddess and the Horned God, respectively. These deities may be regarded in a henotheistic way, as having many different divine aspects which can in turn be identified with many diverse pagan deities from different historical pantheons. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as the "Great Goddess" and the "Great Horned God", with the adjective "great" referring to a deity that contains many other deities within their own nature. Some Wiccans refer to the goddess deity as the "Lady" and the god deity as the "Lord"; in this context, when "lord" and "lady" are used as adjectives, it is another way of referring to them as a divine figure. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a greater pantheistic divinity, which is regarded as an impersonal force or process rather than a personal deity. While duo theism or bitheism is traditional in Wicca, broader Wiccan beliefs range from polytheism to pantheism or monism, even to Goddess monotheism. Bricket Wood still has strong connections to the Wicca movement.

Bricket Wood: A green and pleasant land, close to London

During the 1950s several housing estates were built for employees of the aviation company Handley Page, who had a plant at the nearby town of Radlett. More estates were added to the areas property portfolio, aimed at commuters who wanted housing in a more scenic location, but with very convenient access to London and the work it provided.

A chimney sweep for Bricket Wood

No matter what type of heating appliance you use, if it makes use of your chimney, you will require a chimney sweep to keep it clean and safe to use.

A dirty chimney is a dangerous chimney! The build-up of creosote over time can cause chimney fires and also prevent the chimney from drawing toxic fumes upwards. The very last thing you want is these fumes remaining in the room with you, as they can often prove fatal.

Debris that can build up in a chimney can also become a serious hazard. Leaf litter, nest building birds and squirrels can also foul the chimney with dangerous blockages and should a bird become trapped and die in the chimney, the stench can be quite staggering.

A professional chimney sweep is the best way to prevent any of these issues from arising. So if you live in or around the Bricket Wood area, Ansell Chimneys can visit your property to sweep the chimney, keeping it clean, safe and serviceable. We can even schedule a regular visit to ensure you are never left without a safe and serviceable chimney in your Bricket Wood property.

Why not call Ansell Chimneys now for a free quote

If you would like to know more or are interested in a quote we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01923 661 614, email us at info@ansellchimneys.co.uk or fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.