Advice on chimney

[markus2025]

Hi guys so ive chipped back this chimney breast on this house and its not what i was expecting..

it looks like some work has been carried out in the past to brick work maybe to reduce the dept of the breast

why is the face so ruff looking and not laid in a stretcher bond fashion or has the face been lost with the past changes and this is the infill area im seeing ?

 

[Koolpc]

How old is the house?

I would guess that the original opening was much bigger....hence the odd brickwork.

 

[markus2025]

Around 100 year old i belive it use to have a cast range fitted , you can see where the front has been bricked up but all that brick work above is orginal as you can see the black coal dust mortar what was used in these houses but dont get what its all rammed in all ways thats what makes me think its been filled from above and this was not the orginal face the orginal face and been nocked down perhaps

 

[Koolpc]

Well, if it were mine i would rebuild the top if it is unsecure or you are planning to open up the lower part.

 

[ToolboxTalks]

That rough look and mixed-up brick pattern likely mean this is an infill. When someone reduces the depth of a chimney breast, they often just patch the hole with whatever brick bits fit. That area was never meant to be exposed, which is why it doesn't have the clean stretcher bond you'd expect on the original face.