@Robin4
I didn't have time today to take "fresh" pictures of our radiators, so you are getting the images I used on my listing. The living room radiator does have a top so you can put books or knick-knacks on top, though they do get warm. The bedroom radiator is naked in all of its glory. This is the only radiator in the house that has been painted.
They are actually beautiful. Back in 1903, the castings had designs of vines, fruit, geometric patterns. Most places, they have been painted so often, the designs have been obscured.
To replace this sytem [and with what?] would require removing all of the exterior walls including the lathe, horsehair plaster, and in our case, insultation to run something new. I love the gentle heat of the cast iron radiators. They, well, radiate. No drastic changes of temperature like heat pumps, which I really dislike.
So, it isn't about pride. It is about practicality. How to heat a space in a northern climate that has 9 months of winter and wildly expensive electricity.
The things you posted are called space heaters here, and are only considered to be supplemental heat. They are very dangerous and it is almost impossible to buy something like that today.
And so we end my lesson in New England heat systems! 🙂
living room radiator- see the arrow?
AirBNB bedroom radiator– under the loft stairs