A profession that is no longer found in abundance in Sutton is that of the chimney sweep. One of Sutton New Town’s chimney sweeps was Thomas James Comfort.
Thomas was born in Eynsford, Kent in 1876 and he was baptised at St Martin’s Church, Eynsford on 13th February 1876. He was the son of Thomas Comfort and Elizabeth Vaughan.
Thomas married on the 7th March 1903 to Ada Mary Ann Stubbs in Wilmington, Kent. At the time Thomas was working as a bricklayer. In the early years of their marriage they lived in Dartford and Thomas worked as a greengrocer. The couple went on to have nine children; Arthur Thomas (b. 1903), Willie (b. 1904), Ada Mary (b. 1907), Mabel (b. 1908), Thomas James (b. 1910), Florence May (b. 1911), Winifred (b. 1913), Evelyn Alice (b. 1915) and Frederick George (b. 1916).
By 1907 the family were living at 61 Collingwood Road, Sutton and Thomas was again working as a bricklayer. In 1910 the family moved to Hope Cottage, Cheam Road and it is at this time that Thomas started working as a chimney sweep. Thomas is recorded in the local directories for Sutton as a chimney sweep at Cheam Road from 1911 to 1913. After 1915 the family lived at various addresses in Sutton New Town including; 48 Lind Road, 58 Manor Lane and 85 Carshalton Road.
Sadly, Thomas died in 1924 aged just 49. Many chimney sweeps died prematurely due to accidents, respiratory disease and skin cancers.
All of Thomas and Ada’s children survived to adulthood. Two of their sons (Thomas and Willie) continued the chimney sweep tradition. Thomas James (whose adverts are pictured above) continued to work in Sutton. The adverts appeared in the St Barnabas Parish Magazine from February 1928 to December 1936. Thomas remained in the Sutton area all his life and died in 1993 aged 83. Willie was working as a chimney sweep at the time of his marriage in 1926 but he and his wife later emigrated to Australia.
It would seem Thomas James (b. 1876) adapted his work to support his growing family and suit the needs of the time. Sutton New Town with its ever increasing rows of houses would have provided employment for many bricklayers, builders and chimney sweeps. There were certainly enough chimneys for his chimney sweep business to flourish.
Sutton New Town 