Reinstating Victorian Fireplace

[Sally83]

I am trying to reinstate the victorian fireplace that I was left with our new house. The mantel and surround are all fine and we have purchased a hood and some bars, I will need to get a grate but there is a metal bar structure in the fireplace itself and bricks behind.

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• Sally83
• 22 Mar 2012
• 1

My question is do I need to insert a back to this, or would fire bricks suffice? How would this have been originally? A tradesman I know suggested the metal bar would have heated up to make the fire more effective so I'm not sure if it should be covered up?

I know i will need a chimney sweep and maybe some repair work to the chimney to have a working fire but for now (as summer is approaching) I would just like it to look like a working fireplace. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[JohnD]

I wonder what that thing is at the back? can't be a drawer, surely?

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• Sally83
• 22 Mar 2012
• 1

 

[Sally83]

It's attached to the metal frame just like a handle, doesn't move at all!

 

[Nige F]

it could be a fixing point/pivot for a grate - that rocks to riddle it there`s a lot of the fire missing

 

[Symptoms]

Sally - these narrow fireplaces either had a cast iron fireback or as in your case a mounting frame for fireclay panels. These refractory sections would be cut to size with the joints sealed with a thin smear of fire cement (a bit like mortar between house bricks but much, much thinner). To bed the fireclay panels in place the frame would be 'buttered' with fire cement and the panels pushed in. Obviously, the back panels would go in first, then the side sections which would bear on the rear of the fireplace front.

That button on the lower rear frame is to support the grate and to prevent it from moving forward; it's likely that the original grate only had two feet at the front and was held-up at the rear by the button.

Those two slots on the front are where the bars (to stop the hot coals from spilling out) would have fitted.

You must NOT use this fireplace without first installing the refractory sections as described above. Luckily, you can still obtain all you need today but when you contact the supplier mention what sort of fuel you're going to use (smokeless or non-smokeless) as some refractory material can be unsuitable for smokeless (burns at a higher temp). The scourching of the bricks shown in your pic is a result of the heat 'passing through' the original fireback and does not indicate that it is a result of 'direct' flame.

Obtain the grate after you have done the above work to get one that's a proper fit - tip: make a paper template of the base and take this to your supplier for a good match. You don't say where you are based but if it's in an area where open fires are still widely used there will be local hardware stores (not sheds like B&Q) that sell much of this stuff if not then Google for say, "firebacks" or "firebricks" or similar. Tons of info and suppliers out there.

You may have to adapt the new grate to accommodate that button ... use an angle-grinder to cut out a notch to fit.