Josh Firkins, a 37-year-old chimney sweep from Enfield, shares his experiences of uncovering bizarre and sentimental items in people's homes over 20 years. Working for his family's long-established business, he reveals the strange nature of his job. From lost love letters to a World War Two revolver, Firkins often encounters surprising finds. He frequently rescues pigeons trapped in chimneys and emotionally engages with letters from children, including one from a deceased child. His discoveries reflect both nostalgia and the unexpected risks posed by hidden hazards, like gas pipes.
Some items are from decades ago, such as a collection of lost love letters, but some have been found right at the right moment, such as a badly-placed gas pipe which could have caused an explosion.
We find a lot of things up people's chimneys. We get called out all the time because there's a bird - usually a pigeon - that's gotten stuck. So we rescue them and help set them free.
I always pass them onto the parents just in case they haven't seen. But recently, I gave one to a mother - and it was from her child who had just passed away.
My dad once found a World War Two revolver wrapped up in a letter with German writing. The letter fell apart instantly, as you'd expect from paper from decades ago, so we don't know what it said.
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