What to do with the fireplace?

[mattice]

We're about to move into our first home (C.1860). The dining room has the fireplace pictured below which currently has a living flame gas log burner and we're debating what to do with it! I'm guessing this would have once been home to a Victorian range? The brick on the Chimney breast has been exposed to the ceiling, the top of the ceiling and the width of the chimney breast is roughly equivalent to the height and width of the photo if you catch my drift. The flooring is quarry tile.

The living flame will have to stay in for now until finances allow, however we're not sure what to do with the fire surround. There's a little too much brick for our liking, how would it have been originally? Would it be sacrilege to install a period surround and then render/plaster the brick outside the surround? Is it possible to get tall thin surrounds or should we look for a mantlepiece? We're keen to retain/restore features but following a lot of searching on the internet (bringing us to this forum) we're at a loss!

Thanks in advance for your help, we'll try to share our experiences as we get projects under way.

 

[robgil]

cant see the photo.

 

[mattice]

Thanks - should be there now.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Probably too narrow for a range, plaster the whole lot (don't mourn the bricks too much, they're only supporting cast) and get a small fire surround.

 

[Feltwell]

Hi Mattice,

Congratulations on the first home! Always a nice feeling to be planning for that.

The chimney breast would have been plastered originally, so if you want to re-plaster it now then don't fret, you'll be covering up what was never meant to be seen in the first place. The brick arch you have there was purely functional, not decorative, chances are you wouldn't have seen it originally.

I agree with Gareth, too narrow for a range. What is elsewhere in the house or in neighbour's houses, if they are of a similar age? If nothing then it's up to you, you could look at eventually putting in something like a cast iron combination fireplace, maybe something with a tiled insert if you wanted it slightly more decorative. You don't mention what sort of house it is, if it's a small terrace then chances are it would be something fairly plain and functional originally.

I'd be inclined to leave it alone until you've the finances and time to get shot of the gas log burner, if that's what you ultimately want to do - if you're anything like us you'll have plenty of other things to spend the time & money on at first, including a few surprises! Do get that gas log burner serviced though if you intend to use it, and make sure the chimney has a liner in it - it should have, but you never know. If you change the gas log burner for an open fire in future you will probably need to change the chimney liner, depending on what type it is.

 

[Lime]

We're about to move into our first home (C.1860). The dining room has the fireplace pictured below which currently has a living flame gas log burner and we're debating what to do with it! ............

.........There's a little too much brick for our liking, how would it have been originally? Would it be sacrilege to install a period surround and then render/plaster the brick outside the surround? Is it possible to get tall thin surrounds or should we look for a mantlepiece? We're keen to retain/restore features but following a lot of searching on the internet (bringing us to this forum) we're at a loss!

I hope you enjoy your home.

Originally the brick would have had lime plaster upon it.
The brick arch merely serves the builder's purpose of finishing the chimney and giving support to the brickwork, it was not normally on view.
Leaving a large aperture allowed for all variations of fire to be fitted.
Further brickwork and another lintel lower down would have been installed to give an aperture to fit whatever fireplace was wanted at the time.
Most "proper" victorian fireplaces throughout a house would have these brick arches, if the builder chose to use them, so fitting an additional lintel and a period surround is appropriate.

I don't agree with the comments about there not being a range originally.
It is quite possible as not all ranges were wide, some were very compact.
(it depended on the size and importance of the house)
Most of the old small ranges were overused and worn out (and not very good) so were the first to be ripped out.
Also it was relatively common in order to fit a larger range to extend the flue brickwork further out into the kitchen (evidence can usually be found of the old extended brickwork by marks on/in the floor) so that the range back was touching the breast wall.

 

[mattice]

Many thanks for your useful suggestions. It's a detached house, double fronted house on a street of mainly terraced houses of a similar period, there are two fireplaces at each end of the original part of the house, the other fireplace in the lounge is a cast iron with a wooden surround and tiled inset. I suspect this isn't original as it's also been converted to a living flame gas fire.

The dining room needs redecoration, hence us seeking advice on the brick chimney. We'll almost certainly plaster it over (lime?) now that we know it was probably hidden in the first place. We'll leave the gas log burner in for now and look for a fireplace and reinstatement options in slower time as cash allows!

Thanks again, a great help.

 

[Feltwell]

the other fireplace in the lounge is a cast iron with a wooden surround and tiled inset. I suspect this isn't original as it's also been converted to a living flame gas fire.

That's not necessarily true - you can convert an original fire to be living flame gas, there are places out there that make a custom-sized gas burner tray to replace the original grate.

Think carefully before you take that out, a proper coal fire is without doubt the best but a good living flame fire (and there are plenty of bad ones!) is almost as good and a damn sight more convienient.
(Feltwell prepares for the PPUK stoning for that piece of blasphemy......)

We've got a living flame fire in the lounge and as in our case it is an essential heat supplement in the winter, we've left it as is. In the dining room we've taken it out and gone back to coal.

 

[mattice]

Thanks, good advice .