Those amazing Arnott stoves which heated our parish church in 1847

The church and Bowling Green Hotel from Chorlton Croft circa 1890

Recently I featured that picture looking towards the village from Chorlton Croft.

And in the course of the story mentioned the arnott stoves which heated our parish church.

Now I have lived with arnott stoves ever since I first came across them listed in the contents of the church in the 1847.*

But I realeize that for most people they may not so familiar.  So here courtesy of F J Ferris is a description of
Dr Neil Arnott and his stove.**

'Dr Neil Arnott 1788 - 1874  was a man of many talents including physician, public health reformer, inventor, patentee, lecturer and author. He was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society on 5th January 1838 with the following citation 

"Neil Arnott MD of Bedford Square a Gentleman well aquainted with the various branches of science being desirous of becoming a fellow of The Royal Society. We the undersigned of our personal knowledge recommend him a deserving of that honour and as likely to prove a valuable and useful member" 

Dr Arnott

He was born in Arbroath Forfarshire Scotland on the 15th May 1788. Educated by his mother at the parish school of Lunan, then at Aberdeen grammar school. In 1806 he graduated with an MD from Marischal College Aberdeen. He received his Diploma of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1813 and was awarded his MD the following year.

 He expressed his concern about what he called the four necessaties of life, Air Warmth, Aliment and Exercise. All these factors must have created his interest in heating and ventilating which started with his involvement in matters related to public health and the need for improved ventilation in buildings. 

This led in 1838 to his publishing of the book titled "Warming and Ventilating" which explained the principles used in the Arnott slow combustion stove. The Royal Society awarded him the Rumford medal on 30th November 1854. The medal citation read "For the successful construction of the smokeless firegrate lately introduced by him and for other valuable improvements in the application of heat to warming and ventilating of apartments". In 1855 he published another book on the smokeless fireplace.
During the 1840's and 1850's Arnott is living at 38 Bedford Place in London. By 1861 he marries for the first time late in life to Marianne, and they move to a new residence at 2 Cumberland Terrace, Marylebone in London.

It appears that the Arnott stove was first manufactured following the publishing of his 1838 book."Warming and Ventilating", and although it states that the stove was Patented this was not the case. Letters to The Times newspaper called the absence of a Patent  "a serious misfortune to the public".
  
The fact that Arnott did not patent the invention of his stove allowed other people to copy the design principle, and many different firms then manufactured the Arnott Stove making variations to his original design which subsequently led to problems with the stoves performance, reliability and safety. 

See The Times newspaper articles.   In every street in London stoves were offered for sale bearing Arnotts name, of which not 1 in 50 was made in accordance with the design principles described by Arnott. So, imperfect stoves together with their incorrect use and firing method brought the invention into disrepute.

The Arnott Stove

During the 1840's and 1850's Arnott is living at 38 Bedford Place in London. By 1861 he marries for the first time late in life to Marianne, and they move to a new residence at 2 Cumberland Terrace, Marylebone in London.

It appears that the Arnott stove was first manufactured following the publishing of his 1838 book."Warming and Ventilating", and although it states that the stove was Patented this was not the case. Letters to The Times newspaper called the absence of a Patent  "a serious misfortune to the public".
  
The fact that Arnott did not patent the invention of his stove allowed other people to copy the design principle, and many different firms then manufactured the Arnott Stove making variations to his original design which subsequently led to problems with the stoves performance, reliability and safety.'

*Archdeacon Rushton’s Visitation 1847

** Researched, prepared and written by F J Ferris for the Heritage Group of the CIBSE,
http://www.hevac-heritage.org/victorian_engineers/arnott/arnott.htm

Pictures; looking from Chorlton Croft from the Lloyd collection and picture of DR Arnott and stove courtesy of  F J Ferris