The Plough – Parliament Street – Ramsey, Isle of Man - Unique Chimneys and Chimney Pots on Waymarking.com

The unique chimney stacks at The Plough on Parliament Street in Ramsey.

The Plough is certainly one of the oldest pubs in Ramsey and may in fact be the oldest, dating from 1806 and the chimney stack on the right probably still faithful to the original design. That on the left has clearly been extended to address some of the challenges inherent in chimney design.

All chimney stacks work because hot air rises and as it does, so it draws in cold, denser air at the base. The greater the difference in the temperature between the air leaving the hearth and that outside the stronger the draught is.

The chimney stack on the right probably addresses these points reasonably well although it was only in the mid-nineteenth century that science began to be fully understood which is somewhat later the date when the pub was originally built.

The addition of the chimney pot (also known as tuns or cans) will have improved the flues on this side of the building. Firstly, by extending the length of the flue and secondly by narrowing the opening both of which should have improved the draw.

The chimney stack on the left as plainly been extended to address a somewhat different problem. Namely the turbulent wind eddies caused by the later erection of the taller building on the left. It is open to question as whether the increased height of the stack may have caused problems with cooling in the flues which may well account for the presence of the covered and louvred chimney pots on this stack. Chimneys.

It is open to question as to whether the left-hand stack has problems with water vapour, however given the bulky construction of the stack this might not be problem in this instance. However, from street level there does seem to be slight lean into the prevailing wind direction.

The lean is caused due condensing of water vapour given off by the burning of fuel which combines with other by-products of the combustion process to form sulphuric acid and other corrosive acids, which can cause mortar in the chimney to decay overtime.

Source: 'Chimneys, Gables and Gargoyles: A Guide to Britain’s Rooftops' by Trevor Yorke (ISBN: 978-1846743542)

Private or Public Property?: Private Property although with public access. What material is it made from?: Plaster rendered brick/stone Estimated Height of chimney (please include whether metres or feet): (left) 8 feet and (right) 5 feet Type of building e.g. house, hotel etc: Public House How do you rate it?: When was it made?: Not listed Website with further information: Not listed

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