FOUR STOREYS up, on the rooftop of an Edinburgh tenement, Kirk McLenaghan stands confidently on the edge of a chimney stack.
Despite the fact that one wrong step would mean a very nasty fall, the chirpy chimney sweep stands totally straight, never flinching even when the wind blows.
As he chats happily about his job, he even swings his ball and brush, the traditional de
vice used by his grandfather and father before him.
The rather quaint-looking brush inevitably conjures up images of the all-singing, all-dancing mockney chimney sweep Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke in the classic Disney film Mary Poppins.
And with the stage adaptation of Disney's hit musical set to raise its curtains at the Playhouse tonight, there's an irresistible urge to ask whether Kirk is ever tempted to burst into an impromptu song-and-dance routine on the city rooftops.
He laughs. "I am not dancing for you," he smiles. "But I'll tell you what – I am desperate to see the production, but my wife thinks we'll look out of place without any young children. I told her I'd go alone then – I think it's great."
He may not be a Chim Chim Cheree style of chimney sweep, but for Kirk the job has been something of a life-long obsession.
The 38-year-old father-of-two has been scaling ladders, looking up chimneys and learning the tricks of the trade since the age of eight.
He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, who established the Auld Reekie firm he now runs, and his father, who both passed all their sweeping knowledge on to him.
He openly admits he was never one for school, preferring instead to bunk off whenever possible to join his dad on some of the highest and most exciting buildings the city has to boast – he dreamed of one day of becoming a chimney sweep himself.
"The best time to be high up like this is on a summer's morning – I am in a world of my own," he smiles.
Working alongside him is his very own Bert – his long-standing colleague Albert Boat, a fellow sweep.
"I'm not dancing either," Bert smiles as he unloads brushes, bags and dust sheets from the company van, parked on the street below.
Bert, 48, might not be dancing, but the 4ft 2ins tall sweep does have a rather impressive claim to Hollywood fame, having played a Jawa in classic 1977 sci-fi movie Star Wars.
And as he quickly climbs the four flights of stairs necessary to get to the top-floor flat he and Kirk are visiting, he admits his height has led to more than a few comic encounters.
"Quite often people get a shock when they open the door and I am standing there, covered in soot," he says. "One woman even screamed not so long ago – literally screamed.
"I joke to them that I actually go up the chimneys. Most of them believe me and say to Kirk that it's terrible to make me do that."
While he doesn't actually go into the chimneys of course, Bert works as a "bottomer", managing operations at the foot of the chimney in the home, while Kirk operates the ball and brush – connected by a rope – as the "roper" on the roof.
Unlike traditional English practices, chimney sweeps in Scotland work from the top down, sending a brush, attached to a rope, down the chimney using the weight of a heavy metal ball. In the south, just as in Mary Poppins, a long brush is inserted up the chimney from the hearth.
The use of children hundreds of years ago to climb the chimney was also common in England – most of them had a six-month life span – but only a few cases were ever discovered in Scotland.
Kirk looks proudly at the tools of his trade, all specially crafted by blacksmiths, replicating the exact brushes and ropes used by sweeps for centuries across the Capital.
"The only thing that is modern about our practices is our walkie-talkies," grins Kirk.
As the two of them set about starting their work, Bert meticulously arranges dust sheets around the fireplace belonging to the flat owner, who is keen to see if her chimney is suitable for use during the winter.
Up on the roof, Kirk is able to admire the impressive views of Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Castle and all the way across to Fife.
As he starts slowly lowering the ball and brush in the chimney, he makes distinct bird-like chirping noises down the stack, which are echoed back to him by Bert below. It's like a secret language.
"It is a bit – literally the old language of chimney sweeps," he says. "I'm basically asking him if everything is all right and he is saying it is," explains Kirk.
He describes the process – they check for blockages and cracks, before they can determine whether a chimney is safe.
"I would say most chimneys in Edinburgh are in a pretty poor state. So many of them haven't been used properly for so long, so even if they look good, they often need a lot of work."
Before too long a gust of smoke rises through the stack, set off by Bert below using a small device of the trade. Unfortunately it rises, not only through the householders chimney pot, but also that of her neighbours, indicating there is a small crack she will have to repair before a fire could be safely started.
And cracks and blockages aren't the only things likely to be discovered by sweeps working on some of the city's long-unused chimneys.
"We've found a cat's skull before," Kirk says with a frown. "Squirrels and birds are also common, dead or alive. Unfortunately, we've never discovered anything of any value.
"The best thing about the job is the people you meet though, especially the older ones as they have great stories to tell. The history of the buildings is amazing too. It's genuinely such great fun."
BRUSH WITH SUPERSTITIONSUPERSTITION dictates that if a bride and groom see a chimney sweep at their wedding, they are destined to have a happy future – especially if he wishes them good luck.
Jay Carpy, of Trust Chimney Sweeps, said: "I've been asked at least a dozen times to make an appearance at someone's wedding. I've never been 100 per cent about doing it though, but I may give it a go."
Images of fire and coal have long been associated with luck. A chimney sweep is supposed to carry luck with him – passing it on to those he meets.
But being a sweep is not always "lucky". Jay said: "There are bad aspects, particularly some of the roofs we climb up on to. The ones down on Great Junction Street in Leith are not so good.
"It's a great job overall though, with amazing, calm views across Edinburgh."
