Gasfire removed. How do I widen and this is a fire liner?

[horacek]

Hello I am new and I hope you could help me

Our living room used to have a huge 70's style gasfire feature (eyesore)- I removed all this to leave a small opening 11inches across with two white 'concrete'? Blocks eitherside vertically within the wider large brick opening/surround.

From what I gather this is to create a flue and is NOT usually structural? Is this true? Are they ever structural?

another question- are these blocks ever.....asbestos?

No pics as to get us into the house a plasterer temporarily sealed over the fireplace for me when skimming the walls.

If I pull these out can I expect the chimney to come down through the roof?

 

[wingcoax]

Having taken a fireplace out myself, i don't think you have anything to worry about unless you take the lintel above the fireplace out(in which case you would probably get the entire stack)

 

[horacek]

Having taken a fireplace out myself, i don't think you have anything to worry about unless you take the lintel above the fireplace out(in which case you would probably get the entire stack)

Hello, thank you for your reply. I did all the 'prep' work myself (ripping out the old 70's brickfire place, motar and slate surrounding monstrosity) however I'm no builder (just handy with a sledgehammer!) - I can't remember seeing a lintle but then it could have been under the exsiting plaster work. If chip a line up I'll be able to spot this wont I?

What Im getting at is- are these two blocks that I described fire liners to help adapt an old fireplace (1927 house) to use with a gasfire? Or......could it be that there is no lintle and these blocks are there as props?

(You are hopefully thinking I am just niave and its the latter)

 

[wingcoax]

In my experience,those blocks are only cheeks to fireproof the hearth. There should be a lintel of some description across the top of the hearth under the plaster.