Purdonium

Purdonium is a type of coal-scuttle or coal-box that has a removable metal lining. This meant that the dirty and noisy business of refilling it could be removed from the firesides of the 19th century middle classes and that the elegant outer casings of the scuttles and boxes could be kept in prime condition

First sold in 1847, the name was met with derision as it was assumed that it was another example of the pretentious fashion for mock classicism. Detractors thought it had been named from the Greek word for fire – ‘pur’.