plasticpigeon
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Absolutely, you have an arch and a metal strap, belt and braces. That is a very well built opening.
- Thread starter ireneadler101
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Zebra
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Yes. Take a brick out at a time, starting at the top. If, once you've got the top course out, nothing is moving, then you're in the clear, carry on.
Flyfisher
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Agreed. I'd have no qualms opening it up. The metal bar was likely only used to support the arch during building and it'll be the arch itself providing the strength.
The mortar looks lime-based. If it's soft enough, an old wood saw can be a useful way to cut around the first brick for easy removal. Once the first brick is out the others should follow very easily.
The mortar looks lime-based. If it's soft enough, an old wood saw can be a useful way to cut around the first brick for easy removal. Once the first brick is out the others should follow very easily.
ireneadler101
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We're making slow progress but have now unblocked it a fair amount:
There's an old fireback in there, and someone has bricked quite far up inside on the right hand side (and to a certain extent the left hand side).
I think ultimately we will remove all of this so that we simply have a rectangular opening. The only strange thing is that on the bottom left hand side, someone appears to have removed some bricks so that the floor joist is visible. An airbrick then seems to have been fitted above it.
Obviously visible joists and fires are pretty incompatible, so this will need to be bricked back up. Can anyone think of a reason why this was done? Behind this fireplace is another one, which has previously been used as a small kitchen range, and later a gas fire.
There's an old fireback in there, and someone has bricked quite far up inside on the right hand side (and to a certain extent the left hand side).
I think ultimately we will remove all of this so that we simply have a rectangular opening. The only strange thing is that on the bottom left hand side, someone appears to have removed some bricks so that the floor joist is visible. An airbrick then seems to have been fitted above it.
Obviously visible joists and fires are pretty incompatible, so this will need to be bricked back up. Can anyone think of a reason why this was done? Behind this fireplace is another one, which has previously been used as a small kitchen range, and later a gas fire.
malcolm
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It is tricky to see what is going on from photos, but it would have been an excellent idea for someone to use a disused chimney to ventilate the under floor void. It is probably worth checking you have sufficient ventilation without that - perhaps some other vents had been blocked off so someone decided to vent up the chimney to avoid the frowned upon white fungus. Looks like cement was used for the vent and lime for the chimney blocking so the vent looks later than the blocking of the chimney.
88v8
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Is there a vent in the top of the stack? Or a pot with a cap?
The lower vent could have been a means of ventilating the disused flue - a good thing to do - without having a visible vent/draught in the room.
Ingenious.
Ivor
The lower vent could have been a means of ventilating the disused flue - a good thing to do - without having a visible vent/draught in the room.
Ingenious.
Ivor
Flyfisher
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Agreed. It seems that someone thought carefully about how to block up that chimney. As for multiple fireplace, I removed three fireplaces in the process of opening up one of our large inglenooks and I suspect this is not particularly unusual.
Might be of no more than interest, especially given the date of post! But, wood in fireplaces wasn't too uncommon! I've recently opened up two very early Georgian fireplaces, both with 4 wooden 'bricks' inserted either side of the opening at two heights, so that the wooden surround could be nailed in place. I also have other traces of smaller pieces of wood inserted into brick walls, in the same age cellar with remnants of wrought nails - I think of these as early predecessors to rawplugs!ireneadler101 said: