Spartan Chimney Sweeps

24/05/2026

By age I’m in category 5 but as sweeping is not my first (or indeed second) career, I’d put myself in category 3!

23/05/2026

16/05/2026

I was absolutely blown away by this gift from a very good friend last night.
It is laser engraved onto some lovely wood. A really nice ornament to have.

If you would like something similar done, you can contact Bruce through his website
www.bruceshieldssafety.com

30/04/2026

Did you know?

HomeFind your local certified chimney sweep, for a regular sweep, chimney advice and safety information, from your local chimney professional.

29/04/2026

Well, blow me down!
After a busy day of chimney repairs, I popped into The Barley Mow Tilford for a swift pint. Who should I bump into but Those Pub Guys!
If you haven’t heard of them, they are a pair of guys on a mission to showcase the great British Pub on social media.

Their short videos are fun, energetic and so important in supporting our hospitality industry. Their video of my favourite pub, The Good Intent Puttenham, is excellent.

I recommend giving them a follow as it will undoubtedly give you some ideas of hidden gems in your area.

I applaud their mission and wish them the very best of chimney sweeps luck 😉

17/04/2026

Nostalgia Friday
An absolute pleasure to meet up with this legend to sweep and service his wood burner.
Nick and I have crossed paths many times over the last 36 years but the most significant was 24 years ago when we spent a year living and working together in Bosnia as part of the post conflict reconstruction.
A fascinating year which was not without its challenges.

Unfortunately, as the second picture from 2002 shows, we have got a little older 😂😂
Some who see this post will know Nick and I’m happy to say that he’s doing very well and still makes a good cup of coffee!

27/02/2026

It’s been an interesting week…
Alongside the usual sweeping and stove maintenance, I’ve been called out to a couple of rescues!

The first one was a first for me, a cat reportedly stuck up a chimney!
On arrival, the owner assured me that the room had been searched to no avail. I deployed my chimney camera to assess the task and after about 20 minutes of setting up and cctv action, the owner proclaimed “Oh, she’s under the sofa!” Oh well, alls well that ends well. I then fabricated a chimney cat fence out of stainless steel mesh to prevent the adventurous moggy from getting up there again.

Today, I was called out to a pigeon stuck in a chimney - not an unusual event. Unfortunately, on this occasion, my usual methods of safe removal failed due to the unusually deep recesses on either side of the flue. So, I invented the Mark 1 pigeon scraper (pictured) which worked a treat and the avian miscreant was safely retrieved and released back into the wild.

It can be a funny old job this one but we sweeps are a resourceful bunch!

Have a great weekend all.

28/01/2026

After all the rain we have been having, it was a lovely view from the office today. Chilly but lovely!

25/01/2026

I was deeply honoured today at a family Sunday lunch to have been presented with this “bespoke” table decoration. Auntie Mary, you have outdone yourself. Lunch was lovely as well. Thank you x

23/01/2026

This is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣🤣
After my earlier post this evening about sweeping my own chimney, for the first time, I looked at the Meta AI suggestions.
Some of it is actually reasonably accurate but it’s got a little way to go 🤣🤣🤣🤣