Unblock / Open Fireplace

[weegieavlover]

Hi All,

I live in a Victorian terraced house.
I am doing some work in my dinning room and moved onto the chimney to open it up and unblock so a fire can be installed.

However when I removed the plaster from the wall, what I found confused me as it was not what I expected. I am a DIYer so this is not my day job but I have seen an opened fireplace when our livingroom was being done up, but this is different.

When removing the plaster I was expecting to find the new brickwork where the fireplace hole had once been. However while I can see the new brickwork it seems to be, in part, holding up the lintel (which is narrower than I expected). Also I am not sure what it is called but the curved back to the fireplace that I guess directs the smoke up the chimney that is a lot closer to the front of the brickwork, again, than I expected.

Here are some pictures:

I am also not sure what what those wooden stakes are doing but they appear to go the whole way to the floor, but the left one does not appear to be support anything but is held in by the cement.

Just looking for some advice on how to deal with this before I proceed and remove anything else.

Thanks in advance.
Col

 

[ree]

What kind of "fire" do you propose to install? A solid fuel open fire - an appliance/stove - a gas effect fire?
Its no good doing much of anything else until you determine what you want, and what dimensions might be involved.
Tell us, we can advise, and you can set to work to a plan.
Perhaps, for the moment, simply clean out the debris.

Can you post a pic showing the width of the projecting chimney breast - if that is what it is?

Is there a solid front hearth, and does the room have a suspended floor?

Make arrangements to have the flue swept & smoke tested, & the condition of the chimney stack inspected

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

I think the original Victorian "lintel" is higher then the area you have exposed. There has been a thread recently where there were three lintels at different heights.
Frank