Georgian Fireplace style?

[Adam F]

Hi,

We have a fireplace that has been bricked up in our georgian farmhouse which we would like to uncover and re-use.

We are finding it hard to find a suitable style - plenty of grand georgain townhouse styles, but nothing for a farmhouse??

Any ideas?

PS: Would a log burner be in keeping? or is it open fires only?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Adam, which room is the fireplace in? Does it have a mantlepiece, is it a bressumer---those are the details which will help you to find the right style.

 

[Anita]

We have an old georgian farmhouse (very vernacular and simple rather than posh/embellished) and found 2 large stone inglenooks about 4ft 6 square in the living rooms. They showed signs of there having been ranges there at some stage - but sadly no more!

We put a huge dog grate in one, as we really wanted an open fire - but it would not draw, but filled the room with smoke fantastically! After finding out about the ratio of fireplace opening to flue size we realised that it would not work without some modifications to in effect reduce the fireplace opening. We didn't want a canopy arrangement in the inglenook- so that now remains a focal point filled with chopped logs and candles and the heating is sufficient for the room without the actual need for the an open fire. In the larger room we are in the process of installing a woodburning stove, a tall slim one which we think looks better than a short squat one in a large opening.

However in 2 of our bedrooms were hob-grates with stone surrounds, which had been painted over. One was complete, but the other (damaged) surround was found after a brown 1030's creation had been removed. My other half repaired the surround and cast a new mantle shelf from an original part that had been used as infill. We then found the cast iron hob grate at a local reclamation yard for around £100 - bargain! Then we obtained some stone to reinstate the hearth. They look lovely.

If your fires are in a living room, and dependant upon the proportions of your room- then hob grates come in all sorts of sizes. They were used in both simple stone surrounds and also in more elabourate marble surrounds too. Some were very embellished (like ours) and some quite plain.

Here are some pics of the bedroom ones. One has had a wooden "door" made to cover over the chimney opening and to stop birds/twigs etc from falling down. It is only fixed with a hook & eye and can just be lifted out to use the fireplace and seems to be quite a good idea.


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[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]


[Open Image] [Hosted by PhotoGalaxy.com]

 

[Adam F]

Thanks Anita - the photos are helpful. Our f/h sounds similar - georgian features, but not that grand.

The fireplace is in the lounge and at the moment is simple a bare plain breast. We have a f.place in the dinning room which is similar to your first photo.

I guess we fancied a log burner with a local stone surround, but not too sure if this would be in keeping with the period?

 

[Nigel Watts]

What a gorgeous grate!

I am intrigued by your 1030s fire surround. Did the Anglo Saxons have fireplaces, or just holes in the roof I wonder?

 

[Anita]

Just testing that you were reading my poststhoroughly Nigel!!!!! - Oops, can you tell that I'm no typist - should of course have read 1930's surround

 

[Juju]

My brother found this marble fire surround in about 50 pieces in his shed and paid to have it reassembled and fitted by specialist marble restorers. We know it's original to the house (1830s) as he spotted that several of the neighbours had the same one. He got a salvage hob grate from roughly the same period and it looks great!


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[Nemesis]

We have a fireplace that has been bricked up in our georgian farmhouse which we would like to uncover and re-use.

We are finding it hard to find a suitable style - plenty of grand georgain townhouse styles, but nothing for a farmhouse??

Any ideas?

PS: Would a log burner be in keeping? or is it open fires only?

A picture would be useful of the space!

Our Geo farmhouse has both large openings where ranges once stood and smaller ones with stone surrounds for hobgrates.

Depends on the the room and the opening and what is there really, what you can do.