The photographs below tell the story of H. Firkins & Sons, London chimney sweeps since 1860, showing how the family business has developed across generations while remaining rooted in the traditional craft of chimney sweeping.
The archive includes early Firkins chimney sweeps with their horse-drawn cart, historic family premises in London, Samuel and Harold Firkins, later generations of the family at work and the development of female chimney sweeping within the business.
Together, these images provide a rare visual record of a long-established London chimney sweeping company and the people, places and working traditions that have shaped Firkins & Sons from the nineteenth century to the present day.
