Victorian fireplace lintels - what am I looking at here ??

[thesled]

Hi Folks

I'm trying to sort out the old fireplace so I can get a fire going this winter. Please have a look at the attached pics. What I seem to have is later inbuilding which is the bit with the metal lintel. It's pretty rough. I think was probably for a gas fire. I'm planning to take this out. Then above that is a (stone?) lintel which I assume is original, then above that, discovered today as I took more plaster off, seems to be ANOTHER EVEN BIGGER (stone?) lintel. ??? You can see just above the second lintel is where the brickwork commences (but is a bit grey looking). Is this er normal?

I've tried finding pictures of something similar but nothing has turned up. Has anyone seen anything similar? Thankyou ! Oh and the house was built 1899 if that's any help.

 

[Koolpc]

Picture showing whole fireplace would be good.

 

[thesled]

A lot of the right hand side is still got the plaster on it, but I'll do one when I've got it off.

Bust basically it's a mirror image of the left hand side.

 

[^woody^]

Chimney breasts typically have a structural opening with the bigger lintel, and then the fire opening with the infill brickwork and smaller lintel or flue throat. Look for the lack of bonding.

The important thing is how the fireplace opening and flue gather is formed.

Bear in mind that some bricks around the flue (not the structural breast) may not be supported in the opening once you remove the bricks there

 

[thesled]

Thanks woody.

The inner bit with the iron lintel is certainly not bonded. TBH it's already slightly loose. Inside the fireplace it forms a sort of shelf. I already had to pick off the several sundry old bricks off it that had been lobbed up there I assume basically as a bit of inside flytipping.