Purpose of very skinny chimney pot

[scantronic]

Hi all

Working at someone’s house last week and happened to notice the properties out the back had 2 pots on the rear chimney stack

I noticed how skinny the rear ones were, more like a very thin tube

What’s the likely purpose of this one? I know most likely for an old bedroom fireplace but I’m surprised to see them that thin

 

[Deluks]

Might be for a gas appliance, might be a lash up using bits of clay soil pipe.

 

[Nige F]

Yes, clay drainage pipe 4 inch

 

[scantronic]

So the next question is why?

What’s it serving

Around 10 houses have them and a few others would have had them

Bedroom fireplace? Surely not going to clear enough smoke to make it useable

Unless there’s some Edwardian gas heater or ventilation for something

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

So the next question is why?

The taller the chimney, the better the up-draft.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Unless there’s some Edwardian gas heater or ventilation for something

My guess is this.

The water heating in Victorian terraces was usually carried out in the scullery, at the rear of the house - the original 'Copper' is the circle shown below...

This would likely be the first places in the property to be equipped with a gas geyser, or other means of heating the water cylinder; hence a dedicated clay flue from the scullery may have been installed?

Examples here..

The geyser gas-fired Victorian water heater

The geyser was a gas-powered appliance which heated water by burning gas; this page explains how it worked and illustrates with photos, recollections and adverts

www.1900s.org.uk

Victorian & Edwardian Services (Houses) 1850-1914

Edit:
Or, it could be the original flue from a slightly later style of 'Copper'?

The copper boiler for hot water in houses in the past

A 'copper' was the only way to heat large amounts of water in Victorian and Edwardian times. This page describes coppers and explains their name and use

www.1900s.org.uk