Cracked Stone Lintel above fireplace

[hafiz]

Hi,

We have recently doing some work in our kitchen to open up a large chimney breast. We've hacked off most of the plaster and were very pleased to find a very large open fireplace. It was almost exactly what we were hoping for as we'd like to install a large range cooker in the chimney breast. However, above the fireplace opening is a very large stone lintel - measuring about 70" wide, 8" high and about 6" deep - running the entire length of chimney breast. Unfortunately there is a crack going vertically through the lintel. We'd really like to keep the stone lintel in place and I'm hoping it can be braced, supported or otherwise repaired in some way. I have looked at other threads here and there is suggestions that you can install steel bars below it or even bolt bars behind the lintel to support it.

Its an old Victorian house build around 1882. The chimney breast runs up through the first floor bedroom and through the attic. The height of the stone lintel is just less than 5ft from the floor and the height of the ceilings are about 9ft 8"

I've attached some pictures showing the chimney breast, the fireplace and a close up of the stone lintel crack.

Any help or advice greatly appreciated

Thanks

 

[foxhole]

Would be far too low to put a range under?

 

[hafiz]

I guess you are referring to the height of the extractor fan above the cooker ? My plan was to have the extractor behind and above the stone lintel (lintel is 6" deep)

Not sure if there is a minimum height requirement. I checked and on most extractors have to be fitted between 650mm and 750mm above the top of the cooker, so with 5ft (1.52m) we may just get away with it....