Inglenook discovery

[TheLimes2025]

After removing old loose lime plaster we discovered a beautiful oak beam and what appeared to be the original inglenook fireplace. One brick was loose so we have put a camera through and the backfill looks really odd. Any ideas?

 

[Socksitis]

Very interesting that there is granite on one side and brick ont he other - what happened to the granite on the left hand side I wonder?
In my experience, there were several bodgit and scarper builders around 100 to 150 years ago - they worked on our house for sure and any old rubble was mixed with a bit of lime mortar, or not and thrown togther.
If it were me, I would take out back to the original and if it did not work, brick it up properly.

 

[Cubist]

The old inglenook would be much more appropriate to the house overall I would guess - the surround and fireplace below are clearly a much later addition and, to my eye, completely out of character.

As to the backfill materials you've discovered; this has the appearance of de-laminated slate to which accretions of some sort have accumulated. Perhaps the inglenook had a slate hearth that was simply lifted and placed out of the way when the smaller fireplace opening was constructed. Also, there appears to be a pipe of some kind at behind the slate which has me wondering if at some point there was an old back-boiler associated with an open fire.