In the days when most
houses were
roofed with
thatch, there was no
fire service to call on for help and a fire was even more dangerous than it is today. Burning
straw or
sparks blown in the wind could set fire to neighbouring
property.
It was important to be able to
tackle blazing thatch quickly. Large
iron fire-hooks were used to pull down the burning straw. Often these were kept in a well-known,
accessible place such as the local
church porch. A pair of these fire-hooks can still be seen in Bere Regis Church,
Dorset.