Zprávy památkové péče 2017, 77(5):556-562

The transformation of factory chimneys from functional buildings to important symbols of the industrial revolution

Martin Vonka

Fakulta stavební ČVUT v Praze

The lungs of a factory, totems of laborers, smoking columns, masts of work. All these were, and still are, factory chimneys. Although factory chimneys could be perceived as utilitarian, purely functional, and dirty structures, we can look at them from another angle. During the Industrial Revolution, factory chimneys became self-confident structures which, as decorative dominant features of the urbanized landscape, pointed out the level of development of the given location.
Factory chimneys were designed to fulfill two basic functions - to provide draft and to exhaust fumes at heights to ensure good dispersion. Chimneys were thus constructed on the basis of functional demands, and these physical, static, structural, and economic requirements gave them their typical shape of a self-standing conical pipe. During the construction of the first chimneys from masonry and possibly stone from the 17th to the beginning of the 19th century, the aesthetic aspect did not play a role; chimneys were built without excessive ornamentation and their plain and austere construction reflected their purely functional essence. It is no wonder that, thanks to the unchanging smoky pipes at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the statement "to be as ugly as a chimney" emerged in England.
Despite their purely pragmatic purpose, masoned chimneys have a very interesting evolutionary history. In spite of their utter utilitarian use, they bear a wide variety of forms, shapes and sizes. It is interesting to see how their structure developed, how their aesthetic aspect improved and the architecture changed, how chimneys became beautiful and admired as a symbol of the factory, or became unnecessary and demolished. The construction of chimneys became an entirely new field, involving a wide range of professionals from different disciplines of science and technology.
From the middle of the 19th century we can see a targeted effort to build chimneys in a certain artistic form so that the vertical aspect becomes a detailed and important part of the urbanized landscape, appropriately representing and demonstrating the significant status of the factory. It is obvious that a number of factory owners wanted a chimney that would be more an object of interest and admiration rather than a thorn in the eye. High-quality architecture was faced with the clear task of defeating opinions such as chimneys being "utterly nasty, looking like the long and narrow neck of underground monsters piercing the soil to exhale their stinking and unnatural breath".
Chimneys went through several milestones. At first, they stood at the birth of massive technical and industrial developments; the construction of a factory chimney visibly pointed out the actual transformation of a manufactory into a large-scale production factory. Later, and for a very long time, the chimney was an indicator of prosperity but was also an unwelcome companion that annoyed its surroundings with smoke. In the days of the economic crisis, its inactivity indicated decline and misery. During the wars, it would unwantedly announce, "here's the factory, bomb here". Then from the second half of the 20th century, it became an ecological threat.
The end of masoned factory chimneys in the Czech Republic definitively arrived in the 1980's, the last one being built in the Domažlice brewery in 1984. Today, brick factory chimneys have become technologically obsolete, unnecessary in their traditional form. The entrepreneur who needs a chimney today chooses practical steel or reinforced concrete structures.
Today, most old masonry chimneys no longer pollute their surroundings with black smoke, but rather silently look on at the demise or transformation of conventional industries. The era of factory chimneys is not over yet, but these old and beautiful masterpieces are witnesses of a historical milestone. These slowly extinct structures are now gradually becoming an integral part of our history and are moving to the realm of symbolism.
In the Czech Republic, there once stood several tens of thousands of brick factory chimneys. To date, over three thousand have survived, and the estimated majority of them no longer serve their original function. In the last decade, at least 350 masonry chimneys have been demolished. Given their value, some of these demolitions may be considered a missed chance.
Factory chimneys are an important topic for industrial heritage. They are genuine witnesses to our industrial entrepreneurship, technical development, and prosperity. Over the last few centuries, they have made an important contribution to the panorama of our towns, cities, and landscapes. The chimney can significantly point to the past of a site and is an important topographic element on the horizon of an urbanized area. These are constructions that have become technical icons of progress and have grown into symbols with the strong potential to remind us of one important era of mankind.

Keywords: factory chimney, industry, history, values, landmark

Published: December 1, 2017  Show citation