Before central heating was invented, houses were often cold and damp in the winter. The warming pan was used in beds not only to warm them, but also to try to get rid of some of the damp. The pan was filled with hot charcoal or ashes and then pushed into the bed. The long handle on the pan was used to move it around in order to get rid of as much cold and damp as possible.
The pan of this bed warmer is about 29 cm in diameter and it has a long wooden handle of 62 cm. The lid of the pan has a simple inscribed pattern on it. It has holes punched in it. The pan is hinged near the handle and the lid flips right up so that it can be filled, emptied and cleaned easily.
Bed warming pans were often made in copper as a thin tray could be made. This meant it was quite light - important when the pan was full of coal or ashes and had to be carried up and down stairs.
