Fireplace - help with missing piece?

[Cora]

Hello there, I hope somebody can help me. I am new to this site, and have searched the forum as well as numerous other sources and decided it's about time I reached out for the answer. I have an early 1900's cast iron fireplace in my bedroom which I have nearly finished stripping. It's looking good, but there is a part of it missing and I can't find any information anywhere about what to replace it with. It's the very top of the mantel which in every picture or description I have found so far, is a shelf formed by part of the cast iron. However the top of my fireplace doesn't have the shelf it's just kind of open and used to be covered by a piece of wood painted the same colour as the wall behind which I removed before I started the restoration as it didn't seem to be an original feature.

I hope what I have described makes sense to someone and you can tell me what I need to do to complete my project. It's going to look great but at the moment it is looking decidedly unfinished!

Thanks very much.

 

[thiambal]

Sounds like you have a combination fireplace with a missing shelf. The shelf would usually have been attached with two wide head screws through into the main body of the fireplace.

I have an old bedroom fireplace hanging about in the garden where - when some fool removed it from the house - they just snapped the shelf off rather than removing the screws!

I should imagine a fireplace restorer would be able to help you find a replacement shelf. Many companies make new replica fireplaces and may be prepared to sell you a shelf alone.
The most difficult bit will be to find a replacement shelf where the screw holes match up - but a dare say if you could find a shelf you could find another way of attaching it.

As you are based in Kent I would enquire in the Victorian Fireplace Centre in Canterbury, Bygones Reclamation in Catnerbury or Architectual Treasures in Pluckley - all restore their own fireplaces and many be able to tell you how they get around this problem.

You could also try contacting a manufacturer of replica fireplaces direct - I have found the quality of Ballard and Bailey fireplaces to be superior to others and they were very helpful on the telephone - although they only supply whole pieces to trade they may be prepared to help.

Failing that there is always getting a foundary to make you one - do you have a matching fireplace in another room where the existing shelf could be used as a pattern. There is a foundary in Ashford who take on commissions.

Finally, you could always consider getting a joiner to make something in wood with the right shape and mouldings.

 

[Cora]

Thanks very much for your advice, it's really very helpful and good to know I have some options. What you have described sounds exactly right - there are two holes in the top which seem like they would have been used to fix a shelf, but since I couldn't find any information to indicate that I would be able to replace this I didn't really know what to do next.

I will contact the people you have mentioned to find out more.

Thanks again!

 

[MrWiddles]

Hi Cora

I'm in a similar position to yourself with 2 missing shelves for my bedroom
fireplaces. My neigbour has both shelves intact on her bedroom fireplaces so I know what they look like

You may be interested to know that there are differences in pattern on fireplaces in similar houses of the same terrace. (fortunately I seem to have the more ornate ) There are slightly different patterns on both my
fireplaces facia

I was lucky I managed to find an incomplete damaged model on ebay by pure fluke

wrt to casting a new shelf, I thought about that but be careful, I researched this in an old book and if you make a moulding of say a metre in length then when cool it will be a couple of mm shorter than the moulding due to
contraction of the cooling iron. Not saying that it is insolveable though!

A replica shelf of the same size may be the best bet though if you are not bothered about being authentic

regards
Steve

 

[Mark]

it would be really useful to see a picture of the fireplace - maybe with a ruler along the top. you might find that someone has something you could use.

 

[Cora]

Hi Steve,

I have a fireplace in another bedroom which I haven't tackled yet, but I have a feeling I will have the same problem when I get to it. It's completely painted over and the top just looks like a thin wooden shelf, rather than the original. It's a very different design to the one I am currently restoring, is that usual or would one usually expect the bedroom fireplaces to match in a house? Perhaps they aren't original after all?

I have given ebay a try in the hope of finding something, but no luck as yet. It sounds like you were very lucky with your find!

Cora

 

[Cora]

I will take a picture of the fireplace tonight and post it with measurements. If anyone has something I could use, that would be fantastic. Thanks for the advice Mark.

 

[Becka]

depends where you are but solopark had a whole catalogue of new replacement bits for fireplaces available (I was after an ashpan, but I'm sure they had other bits and bobs too, I'm pretty sure this was a supplier they use for refurbishing fireplaces themselves as they only sell then fully restored) thay have a website, but I'm not sure if this would be on it but a phone to call enquire might pay dividends

 

[thiambal]

It's a very different design to the one I am currently restoring, is that usual or would one usually expect the bedroom fireplaces to match in a house? Perhaps they aren't original after all?

Our house had matching bedroom fireplaces in the front and middle bedroom but a completely different style in the back bedroom.

 

[Penners]

Cora - it all depends on how purist you want to be to the original fireplace. There are two ways of looking at this.

Firstly, you could hunt around and possibly find an iron mantlepiece that would fit. It could look absolutely fine, but the chances of it being the correct one are a million to one against.

Secondly, you could fit a wooden mantlepiece, as someone had already done. It wouldn't be original, of course, but then neither would a replacement iron one. And it would still be an honest part of the development of the house.

I'm not trying to discourage you from finding an iron mantlepiece. I'm just saying that - as the original is missing - you can view its replacement in a number of ways.

 

[thiambal]

In making your decision could could perhaps employ the criteria I use for selecting wine....

1) Is it cheap?
2) Does it have a pretty label?

Sensible policies for a better Britain!

 

[Penners]

You connoisseur, you!

 

[Nemesis]

'In making your decision could could perhaps employ the criteria I use for selecting wine....

1) Is it cheap?
2) Does it have a pretty label?'


I add - has it an easy to open screw top?

Cork bad, plastic cork even more so - when you are desperate a screw top really helps.

The label - I have given up worrying, apart from the bit which states alcohol level.

 

[Becka]

unless yuo're so drunk already that you try to open a screw top with a corkscrew.. that was a thoroughly confusing moment all round..

 

[Nemesis]

Well, possibly it made a hole - so success!

 

[Becka]

it did, eventually.. (it took us some time to suss that we were barking up the wrong tree sadly, the penny only dropped when it did make a hole) which then meant of course that we had to drink the whole bottle.. cos there was no putting the top back on.. thats about as far as a fully remember of that particular evening..

 

[thiambal]

Just been given a bottle of wine at work for my Birthday (cough cough!)
A cheeky little Pinot Grigio called Via Ulivi (which my basic Italian leads me to believe mean Olive Tree Road)

So lets check it against the criteria

1. Price? - FREE
2. Label? - Minimalist but attractive
3. Screw Top? - No, cork!

Two out of three is not bad though! Glug glug!

 

[Nemesis]

Cork is OK if you are sober at the outset and have to hand a corkscrew which you can operate without an advanced cerificate an no arthritis in the hand, arm etc.

Having to resort to knocking the neck off the bottle is a danger and wasteful.

Happy birthday. It was mine Monday. Scorpio.

 

[thiambal]

Happy birthday

Likewise!