Blast from the past: The Superser

I grew up in a farmhouse with single-glazed windows, a building unburdened by insulation or central heating until the 1980s.

We had an open fire in the living room, but it did little to heat the house or thaw the ice on the inside of the windows (truly).

So when conditions became close to Artic and no amount of layering with jumpers would cut it, the Superser was wheeled out.

This heat-giving device was a big metallic unit that ran on a tank of gas and emitted glorious, yellowy heat through three bars at the front when it was clicked on.

But those bars were carefully rationed. One bar was fine, two was just about acceptable when the snow was up to the windowsills, but three?

Three was for emergencies, when your hands were going to drop off from the cold, or visitors were coming.

People would come in and warm their backsides on it (blocking the heat from the entire room); it also doubled as a cigarette lighter.

‘Don’t stand too close to the Superser, you’ll catch fire’...I’m sure that refrain echoes in many people’s memories...sure, wasn’t it a gas!