How did you get your [coal fire] going when there wasn't any draught brought back memories of living in a terrace property in Brinckman St. Barnsley in the early fifties.
Coal fires were started with sticks, my job as a lad was to chop 'em in the cellar with an axe

Old Newspapers were laid on the fire grate (once the old cinders had been removed to the bin)then sticks, then small coals.

However getting the thing to go properly was a bit of a devil and ingenius yet unsafe practices included putting the shovel infront of the fire and then covering the rest of the fireplace front with newspaper to create a vacuum ~ this created a draught to get the fire going, provided you didn't get the front newspaper on fire first!!