Fireplace

[Roger H]

Hi all. The previous 'custodian' of my unlisted, 1840s sandstone Northumberland cottage did a variety of unsuitable works. Notable among these was boarding over the bedroom fireplace, and stuffing the smashed up mantlepiece into the void. Now, I know very little about the detailed construction of fireplaces so don't know how to assess the current condition of this one, or to visualise what is missing and needs to be put back. I've a few questions I'm hoping you can pitch in on:

The mantlepiece is in pieces. Is it beyond sensible repair or could it be pieced back together with a suitable resin, maybe supported by some steelwork and reinstated? See below partially reassembled jigsaw.

The opening is as below. There is a shallow brick arch behind the plasterwork - I'm unsure if the wood is doing much, or was just studding for the plaster infill panel when the fireplace got taken out. There is no sign of the jambs to the fireplace.

Showing it in more close up the fireplace has almost nothing left but its brick flue and some stone flanks. There is evidence of some metal plates on either side about a foot of the half. What do they suggest about the format of the original fireplace?

Any ideas on what is missing and what might be reasonably put back? The hearth is present under the carpet and I'd be content with a functioning fireplace, potentially a woodburner or even just a non-functioning fireplace. Many thanks, Roger

p.s. And they ribbon pointed the shed in cement! I know.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, how awful for you. To find it just smashed up like that!

No idea if the mantelpiece can be saved,it looks a bit impossible to me but I might be wrong. Then you'd need to match it with all the other bits - so so hard!

I'd just want to treat myself to something like this:
http://www.britainsheritage.co.uk/antique-fireplaces/cast-iron-inserts/AI548S-antique-small-cast-iron-fireplace.htm

 

[Lime]

A smaller version of this perhaps?

http://www.britainsheritage.co.uk/images/fireplace/AMBS%2072.jpg

 

[JoceAndChris]

Lime's pic is very beautiful and very similar to what I have in formal drawing and dining room - 1820 ish. The bedroom ones are little cast iron hob grates (this is an estate cottage orne)

 

[LadyArowana]

The mantlepiece is in pieces. Is it beyond sensible repair or could it be pieced back together with a suitable resin, maybe supported by some steelwork and reinstated? See below partially reassembled jigsaw.
.

What vandalism, such a shame. When I discussed a stone statue restoration with the professionals that were going to do it they told me that they would drill either side of the broken surfaces, insert a brass pin and then resin, with final filling and colour matching. If you wanted to restore the structural strength then a similar approach might be necessary, not easy as a DIY project ( and unjustifiably expensive for professional restoration is my guess ). Some sort of steel supporting shelf would be much simpler is my feeling.

 

[Roger H]

Thanks both. It looks a lot like Lime's insert could be the right one. The horizontal plates half way up are the same. Do these fireplace inserts usually come cast as a piece or would they bolt together?

On my mantlepiece, about 95% of the material is there, just in bits. Both corners are there. The length in the foreground is the upper part of the mantlepiece, with the cornice that is absent from the main length. I'm thinking a combination of a steel tray, resign to glue the parts, and lithomix to infill the cracks might do. It's strange in that its a soft red cumbrian sandstone, 50 miles east of the usual location. 1840s was the start of the Carlisle > Newcastle railway though, so perhaps an early import.

 

[LadyArowana]

I'm thinking a combination of a steel tray, resign to glue the parts, and lithomix to infill the cracks might do. It's strange in that its a soft red cumbrian sandstone, 50 miles east of the usual location. 1840s was the start of the Carlisle > Newcastle railway though, so perhaps an early import.

If you have any tiny slivers of the sandstone that are too small to sensibly glue back then you might be able to grind them up and use them in a suitable binder to do final finishing of the cracks. I had 3 or 4 flakes from the break in the statue ( that was also some sort of sandstone ) and the restorers said to ship those too.

 

[Roger H]

Thanks for suggestions. This is the top. Most of the bits are there. Putting the 'destroy' into DIY...

 

[Moo]

Several years ago there was a tv programme (Grand Designs?) that featured a couple who restored a Georgian house in, I think, Spitalfields. The husband found the remains of a marble fireplace amongst the detritus in the basement and paid to have it reassembled by professionals. As I remember it, a lot of the fragments were minute, but he lovingly sifted through the assorted rubble to make sure he had all the bits.
Does anyone remember the programme - or, ideally, Is able to provide a link to it?

 

[Roger H]

Thanks Moo - I might even have that on DVD somewhere...

 

[tobydog]

If I remember rightly, they were the most dedicated DIY'ers I've ever seen because it wasn't even their house. They were tenants :shock: .

 

[Feltwell]

Moo, you're spot on - they were council tenants and it was a Georgian house. The chap was a real craftsman and did a beautiful job, aided by the design skills (and money - she kept working to pay for it all if I remember rightly) of his other half.

The fireplace was marble, so the breaks appeared to be veins in the marble after restoration. It was restored professionally - one of the few bits the tenant didn't do himself - I'm fairly sure it was restored by a firm called Lassco - I think this was them:-

http://www.lassco.co.uk/

It was an early episode of Grand Designs, Kevin had hair if I remember rightly!