A brick or stone enclosure forms the basis of the fireplace. Variously referred to as the fireplace opening or recess or builders opening, it may be set flush with the wall or built out into the room, forming a chimney breast. This chimney breast rises through the height of your house, emerging through the roof to form a chimney stack. At the top of the opening the gather and flue join to carry the smoke up the chimney. If the chimney is shared by numerous fireplaces on different floors, it may contain more than one flue.
The masonry over the fireplace opening is supported by a lintel or a brick arch. Old inglenook fireplaces made use of enormous oak beams, whereas a strong iron strap normally supports an early brick arch. Later on, fireplaces may have a straight arch supported by angle iron, and by the twentieth century cast concrete lintels were the norm.
A hearth, constructed from non-combustible products such as stone or tile-faced concrete, projects out into the room to protect the floor from falling ashes. In most old homes, the hearth was set flush with the floor, although occasionally, a superimposed one was used to raise the level. The space within the fireplace opening, referred to as the back hearth, is normally level with the hearth itself. A dog grate for burning wood or coal can be placed on this back hearth. However, by the mid-nineteenth century, the mass produced cast-iron register grate which filled the opening, had become the style.
To complete the assembly, a mantelpiece, or mantel, or fireplace surround, as it is often called today, is fitted to frame the grate or fireplace opening. The mantel might be constructed from stone, slate, marble, wood or cast iron. The walls around it may be finished with wood paneling, or even more typically with plaster, and sometimes, the mantel extends up to form an outstanding chimneypiece Click this . Mirrored overmantels were presented in the late eighteenth century, and these ended up being the traditional feature of Victorian sitting rooms.
Within this fireplace, an open fire burning wood or coal is a joyful sight, however, if it is your only source of heat, as it was for centuries, this romantic image can quickly fade, especially if the fire does not burn appropriately. Getting a fire started and keeping it alight then ends up being a challenge, if not a chore. For wood and coal fires to burn well, a good supply of air is required under the grate, in addition to a means of escape for the hot gases and smoke. With the fuel safely contained within the fireplace opening on a grate, free circulation of air is possible and waste ash can fall through the grate so the fire is not stifled. If the chimney is inadequate, or the flow of air is restricted, the fireplace will not function successfully.