A forgotten Edwardian era method can keep you warm without the heating on (Image: PA)
The Victorian era was without doubt a harsh time to live through, with no central heating in homes forcing people to look for other ways to keep warm.
But in Edwardian times, from the turn of the century decade of 1901 to 1910, times were made even tougher thanks to coal shortages which meant even fireplaces were too expensive to run for many, as prices of fuel rocketed (sound familiar?). As a result, the Edwardians were forced to get creative when it came to keeping warm – and one trick they used was foot warmers.
Keeping your feet warm could help prevent you feeling cold, even if you couldn’t afford to warm the whole house. This is extremely similar to recent advice some 120 years later – such as ’ ‘heat the human, not the home’ method. Edwardian Promenade reports: “Edwardian era footwarmers (in railways carriages at least) were warmed by steam run through pipes, and kept hot by a mixture of soda and water.
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“Many automobile styles featured compartments for smaller versions of footwarmers, but motorists were advised to supplement their heat with thick socks and motoring boots.
“The electric foot-warmer was made in various forms and sizes. With such a heater, it is impossible for the feet to remain cold, yet the cost of running is but a fraction of a penny per hour. Such heaters are also convenient for keeping dishes or plates warm, and for airing small articles of clothing, while if placed in the linen closet, they will keep the sheets and house linen beautifully warm and aired.”
Another popular trick of the day has endured to modern times – layering clothes.
Wool was particularly popular in Edwardian times, because it kept you warm in winter and cool in summer.
Edwardian Promenade adds: “Woollen underclothing made by the Jaeger company were popular all year-round as necessary for keeping people cool in the summer and warm in the winter (it was to wick the sweat and to trap the heat, respectively). Thick coats and even thicker socks were worn by all classes and sexes. Furs of all kind were fashion statements, but more importantly, they kept one nice and toasty.
“Motorists were advised to wear fur-lined gloves and boots, as well as veiled hats, and waterproof coverings to keep warm (remember the open cars).”
Back in 2022 Martin Lewis revealed some modern methods to keep warm without heating which had echoes of this Edwardian guidance. He cautioned, though, that this was extreme circumstances advice because not heating your home could have other negative downsides.
He wrote: “Two winters ago I briefed my team that I wanted an article, and I worked with them on it, that made me very uncomfortable to request it, because I believed it was wrong that we should be doing it but we did it and it was called Heat the Human, not the Home.
“The problem with doing that is it can hurt literally the structure of your house by doing that, keeping it cold but keeping yourself warm.
“If we’re talking desperation, most people have already turned most things off. Heat the human is about USB gloves and gilets that you can plug in and have very, very minimal usage and you don’t turn the heating on so you keep your body warm when your house is cold.”