Get a professional in if you want to restore it. Expensive yes but will ensure it is done properly because it would be a real shame to damage it any further. Gorgeous floor! Just do a quick search on the Internet for a restorer eg http://www.heritagetiling.com

Such a great question, I hope you get some responses as I'm sure the floor will look great when restored. I'm no expert on conservation but we have just restored our porch tiles. They are encaustic tiles, some were chipped and we replaced these with extras we had from another room. We have also installed an encaustic tile from fired earth in our cloakroom. Fired earth do a range of cleaning products for tiles. I've no idea whether these are the best on the market but my tiles certainly came up a treat. Just google fired earth tile restorer and you will see the different products. Marble staining might be tricky to remove but I would definitely give it a go. Alternatively you could pay someone £££'s to do the work!good luck with your project, it sounds very exciting.

Hi Jane, Thank you so much for your thoughts. I've also been discussing this with quite a few people - everyone thinks I should keep the range and do my best to refurbish it. So, my plan now is to speak to more local antique dealers to see if they have missing pieces to help me build this back together. I've also spoken to a fantastic place in England called Antique Fireplaces & Ranges (http://www.antiquefireplacesandranges.com/) and they've given me tips on how I can clean and bring out the beauty in this piece with some iron paste called Black Lead. They also suggested making the missing pieces (if they cannot be sourced) with a local theatrical company that makes props for sets. This is a very reasonable idea given that I never intend to use the range other than as a feature piece. Thanks again, Jane and have a Happy New Year!

Hi Beth, when I exposed our fireplace I got a builder in to ensure it was safe to do so. Granted the builder was my brother, so I had an advantage, but I would worry that you may remove a crucial supporting part. Just being cautious.