In the morning a fire was kindled and then allowed to burn down, the smoke
escaping through pipes and chimneys located just under the floor. After
the smoke had completely gone, the servants opened "stoppers" in the floor
and allowed the resulting heat to rise into the room. Each stopper
weighed about ten kilos and left a gaping hole in the floor when open so the
room was not used during heating.
This method of heating was improved during the entire Middle Ages and was only replaced by the more efficient tiled stove in the fifteenth century.
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