No lintel above bricked up fireplace… big problem?

[Yappyyapps]

I’m in the process of trying to restore an old fireplace (for decorative purpose) that’s been bricked up in one of the bedrooms in my Victorian Terrace. I’ve taken a load of plaster off the chimney breast and a fair way up, but there doesn’t appear to be a lintel? Sounds a silly question but I assume it’s dangerous to start removing bricks without one?

 

[blup]

Chop out the plaster till you find the outline of the old flue opening. Then work up from there. The lintel if there is one can be a lot higher up.

 

[Yappyyapps]

Chop out the plaster till you find the outline of the old flue opening. Then work up from there. The lintel if there is one can be a lot higher up.

Cheers, I’ve chopped out more but still no luck and am over half way up the breast..thinking it may have been taken out when it was bricked up..

 

[blup]

Can't see any material difference between the two pics.

 

[Dereekoo]

Looking at the outline of the existing bricks it appears that originally the fire opening was 6 bricks up and possibly a metal bar lintel supported the brickwork above it. On its removal a triangular wedge of bricks above it settled or came away and was then infilled when the fireplace was blocked up. This mode of failure is typical when you make an opening in bonded brickwork and once the triangular wedge has dropped away the brickwork above it remains in place as it is supported by the corbelling effect ofvthe surrounding brickwork.

 

[Yappyyapps]

Looking at the outline of the existing bricks it appears that originally the fire opening was 6 bricks up and possibly a metal bar lintel supported the brickwork above it. On its removal a triangular wedge of bricks above it settled or came away and was then infilled when the fireplace was blocked up. This mode of failure is typical when you make an opening in bonded brickwork and once the triangular wedge has dropped away the brickwork above it remains in place as it is supported by the corbelling effect ofvthe surrounding brickwork.

Yes that makes sense, presume safest option would be to install a lintel across the top of that 6th block where that row of bricks is and then infill above it

 

[blup]

Good spot Colombo