Is the fireplace worth buying? Advice please!

[somersethouse]

Some of you may have seen my other post about the house we are buying - well, we are wanting to put period fireplaces back into the reception rooms and I came across this one for a reasonable price (picture below). I'd guess it is Victorian and it seems very likely that the living rooms were added to the property during Victorian times so I thought the fireplace might be suitable. I have also uploaded a photo of the living room that I am thinking of putting the firepalce in just so you can see what it looks like (no period features at all!).

I am wondering if the fireplace is Victorian and if fellow forum users think it might be suitable for the living room shown? I am a complete novice and don't know alot about the fireplace except that it is 30" high by 36" wide and it needs a new 'back'. Is there any obvious reason that it wouldn't be possible to install into the living room shown below?

I am happy to take a punt on it but at the same time don't want to buy something (bulky) that I can't actually use. Any advice or thoughts greatly appeciated!

 

[philmac1944]

On the back of the cast iron insert there should be a foundry mark in the shape of a lozenge.
Do a `rubbing` of it - you may need to clean off some dirt and rust. Make a note of the
letters or figures in each segment of the lozenge on a site, recommended
to me by Penners, but which I have mislaid. I`m sure he will have a record of it and
advise you anon. This will tell you where and when the fireplace was cast.

If you are unable to revive the tiles there are several places which sell sets of tiles.

Pricewise - it varies a great deal - depending on condition, location and your negotiating skills.

Good luck.

 

[philmac1944]

Have found the link - it was filed under `glass` - same principles apply to cast iron.
http://1st-glass.1st-things.com/lozengetranslator.htm.
Failing this, it comes up if you Google `lozenge translator`
Let us know how you fare.

 

[Schoolmarm]

I would hang on until you have moved in before buying anything and even then wait until you have pulled all the mess out currently there.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I agree with Schoolmarm. That looks like a lovely thing, and appropriate too. (You house seems to bear evidence of work over different periods, so you could argue that anything 19th century is right) But it really, really wouldn't be a decision I'd rush into before doing a lot of research and living in the house for a winter.

You may even decide you'd prefer/need the greater heat of a stove. Certainly I wish at least one of our fires were a stove, these sorts of pretty fireplaces aren't much good at heating the room though I agree they make a stunning focal point.

I am a bit concerned about the tiles in that one, the pic doesn't show them clearly. Would you want to replace them?

There are so many salvage shops online, and from them you can learn an awful lot about fireplace styles over the centuries. http://www.salvo.co.uk has masses of shops within, this one springs to mind:

http://www.bygones.net/thumbs.asp?strCategory=ORIGINAL_CAST_IRON_FIREPLACES

Although the one you've found is lovely, don't think it's your only chance!

 

[somersethouse]

Thanks for the advice everyone - very useful and much appreciated.

Perhaps I should have mentioned the price - it has been offerred to me for £40 which I gather is very low. For that reason, I had been thinking of taking a punt (and thought that if I let it slip through my fingers I might regret it later!). My only reservation would be if you all felt it would clearly be out of place or if there was an obvious reason why it wouldn't be useable. Any further thoughts??

Hope everyone has a great weekend by the way...

 

[philmac1944]

snap it up at that price ! I`m sure in a house that size you`ll find a suitable place for it.

 

[Penners]

For £40 it looks worth your "punt", even though it needs a bit of repair.

For what my inexpert view is worth, I suspect it might be a bit later than Victorian, but so what? The main question is - do you like it? I presume the house is not listed?

 

[JohnB]

Who's going to preserve the 60s and 70s fireplaces? They'll be collectors items one day :wink:

 

[vicky whitworth]

How easy will it be to repair? The cast iron looks cracked, and you mentioned that it doesn't have a back. I don't know anything about these things but I could write you a long list of stuff I have proudly brought home only to find that they wouldn't work for one reason or another. Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm but I support the vote not to rush into anything.

 

[Flyfisher]

My welding experience is 'agricultural' to say the least, but I know enough to know that welding cast iron is a specialised job. I've no idea if there is a non-welding method for such repairs that would be allow the fireplace to be used for its original purpose but if that's the intention I would certainly make some enquiries about the likely cost of a welding repair.

 

[Feltwell]

If the cast iron back is broken and you intend it to be a working fireplace, unless you absolutely love the design I'd leave it. £40 is very fair but it will be a lot of hassle I reckon to find a replacement back that will fit. Of course you need a surround as well, but that is simpler.

If you don't want it to be working then it's not such a problem, purists look away now but I've recreated a missing section in fibreglass & car body filler before in order to keep an original fireplace in a bedroom. Once painted and then leaded it looked nigh-on perfect to my biased eye!

As for the age - very late Victorian (post 1890) or Edwardian I reckon. Certainly much later than the other fireplace you posted a picture of.

Fireplaces come up all the time on Ebay (although where they've come from can be a concern..), and there are loads in salvage yards, although prices tend to be much higher than Ebay. Have a look on http://www.salvo.co.uk

I'd leave it until you're in the house - you're going to have enough on your plate as it is. Cast iron fireplaces are heavy, bulky, hard to move, hard to store and easy to break! I've got one that I've been storing now for a year, pending restoration and installation - I grabbed it as soon as I saw it as it matches others in my house.

Once in you may feel that you need the extra heat and will opt for a stove.

 

[somersethouse]

Hi all, thanks for the replies and advice. You have confirmed a few concerns that I were floating around in the back of my mind (i.e. that it may be more hassle than it is worth and could be a better idea to spend more on one that doesn't require as much restoration). I think I'll probably leave it and will wait till we are in the house before making any fireplace purchases. The sale is progressing nicely at this stage but until we get to exchange of contracts, I can't even be sure that we will be moving in! Fingers crossed...

 

[essexbearhunter]

REGISTRATION LOZENGES
http://www.oldcopper.org/registered_designs.htm gives the two lozenge systems that operated from 1842 to 1883 and the purely numerical system that replaced it.

The usual caveat applies: that this is the date that the design was registered NOT the date of the item bearing it - which may be much younger.

 

[worms]

The advice to wait until you have investigated the current fireplace sounds good to me. It may just be the picture, but there is something distinctly "stuck on" about the appearance of the stone effect of the current fireplace. There is always the chance that something more interesting is lurking underneath that has been simply panelled over.

 

[somersethouse]

There is always the chance that something more interesting is lurking underneath that has been simply panelled over.

Fingers crossed - That would be great!

 

[Moo]

The lovely thing about excavating fireplaces is that, should you find nothing of interest there, it's not the end of the world. You can just tidy up the hole and treat it as one of those minimalist jobbies while you get on with possibly more urgent tasks. Getting the perfect fireplace is something you don't have to rush.