01/06/2026
đź””Memory Lane Mondayđź””
Every Monday for a couple of months we are starting a new series giving some information and history of Ernest Speer’s
This weeks topic is our famous Pot Belly Stove
The casting on the front — “ROMESSE” with the “TRADE MARK” stamp beneath — suggests it’s an older Irish or British Isles cast-iron pot belly stove, probably dating from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Judging by the heavy cast iron, the ornate lettering, and the fireclay collar at the flue, we place it roughly somewhere between the 1920s and 1950s.
What you’re looking at is a classic “pot belly” or workshop stove design:
* The rounded belly shape radiated heat evenly into a room.
* The cast iron body absorbed heat slowly and released it for hours.
* The narrow chimney opening created a strong draft, helping turf, coal, or timber burn efficiently.
* The front loading door and ash pit underneath made it practical for pubs, railway waiting rooms, farmhouses, workshops, schools, and estate buildings.
In Donegal especially, stoves like this became common because:
* turf was abundant,
* houses were damp and cold,
* and central heating arrived very late in rural areas.
Our stove fits perfectly with that history. Old drapers, pubs, hardware shops, and grocers across Ulster often kept one of these burning all winter long. Customers would literally gather around them to warm themselves and talk. They were social centres as much as heaters.
The corrosion and soot buildup suggest this stove worked hard for decades rather than being decorative.
It may even have been:
* imported through Belfast,
* cast in Scotland or northern England,
* or produced by a smaller Ulster foundry whose records are now mostly lost.
