Hearth facts for kids
A hearth (har-th) is a brick or stone lined fireplace or oven that is used for cooking and heating. Historically, the hearth was the center of the home, as it provided heat for the house. Its Latin name is focus. That is why "focus" is used for many kinds of central point.
In more modern times, the hearth may be section of the fireplace that can be seen. This often includes tiles around the base of the fireplace and the floor.
Images for kids
-
Middle Paleolithic hearths at Darai Rockshelter, west Zagros.
-
Late medieval tile hearth and associated floor
-
Japanese traditional hearth (Irori)
-
A cauldron over a fire in William Blake's illustrations to his mythical Europe a Prophecy first published in 1794. This version of the print is currently held by the Fitzwilliam Museum
-
Dutch style kitchen hearth in Hofwijck mansion, Voorburg, Netherlands.
-
This 1889 cookbook has an illustration of the hearth in the house of John Howard Payne, who wrote the best-selling song Home! Sweet Home!
