Fireplace reinstatement

[dmsims]

Looking at a Grade II listed Georgian semi:

One room simply has an air vent: what is the general feeling on recreating the fireplace? Do "they" insist on a period piece or is a good quality modern reproduction acceptable?

Another room has a dreadful reproduction Victorian fireplace - same questions

 

[plasticpigeon]

I don't know what a conservation officer would insist on, but I know the Victorian society encourages the fitting of reproduction fireplaces in order to quell the market in original ones and deter people from pulling original features out and making a few quid. I've fitted a reproduction in my early edwardian place (it's not listed though). It seems there are some very nice reproduction inserts, but not so many nice reproduction surrounds in my opinion.

 

[MatthewC]

You are very much in the hands of the CO on this sort of thing but, in my Grade II listed house, we had no problem in getting approval for a woodburner in the kitchen and a reproduction decorative arch fireplace with new pine surround in the lounge (in place of some awful 1950-1960 concrete thing which I accidentally broke anyway - honest!). Given that we had difficulties with other things, I would hope you would also get approval easily but you have to give them details of it (and so I had to buy mine before getting permission).

The air vent question is for building control. You need to have adequate ventilation and all my lounge had was a single (originally blocked up) airbrick below the suspended floor. The installers wanted to put a vent through to the front wall (!!!) but admitted that I could actually have a vent in the floor, which met their requirements and also improved the underfloor ventilation by siting it on the far side of the room.

Matthew