Reinstating a Victorian fireplace - wood or coal or both?

3 years ago

I fell in love with this second hand cast iron fireplace for my Victorian home (the tiles are gorgeous). I was assuming I could burn wood in it, but the grate is very small (11cm /4.5 inches deep X 39 / 15 inches wide).

We’re getting quotes for a HETAS registered professional to install it. But if it only takes coal, I don’t think we’ll use it and perhaps I should only get it installed as a decorative piece.

Can anyone with a similar fireplace advise? Thank you :-)

The front of the grate doesn’t seem to dovetail with the grate.

I dn’t Think it’s supposed to sit on top of the grate either.

Featured Answer

E D

3 years ago

Lovely surround.

You might want to consider environmental aspects too.

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Comments (12)

Jonathan
3 years ago
You could also get a gas fire put into it.
helenmci thanked Jonathan
carocat24
3 years ago
The installer can confirm but I can burn both in mine. Check what your local authority allows in case you are in a smoke control area. It is advisable to get the chimney lined - the old chimney isn’t going to be in great shape after all these years, and you don’t want gasses escaping into the upstairs rooms. If all this doesn’t put you off, enjoy your real fire! Alternatively, cheaper, it will look lovely with chunky candles lit in the basket.
helenmci thanked carocat24
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Hello Apismalifica, If the room is really large then it's possible the fireplace is actually right size wise, if it's still the original proportions and you'll see if the chimney breast and fire are proportional. In a lot of cases they are filled in and made smaller at later dates such as the 30's so you'd notice. You've said it's not proportional and so perhaps the room has been divided at some point.. Really the key thing is to identify whether it can sit in the room without looking odd. Secondly a kitchen layout that doesn't mean removing the fireplace but as others have said possibly making use of it somehow like installing an aga or something - if it's a big room it may be possible to keep it as a feature or re-instate it's use and have a galley along the opposite wall for example? So you have both kitchen and fireplace... Pictures would indeed be good but I usually like to work with period features.. Regardless of whether you have another, see how you can work with the room.. : ))
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Karenza Roy
3 years ago
you can burn both! I do... just be sure to regularly sweep the chimney
helenmci thanked Karenza Roy
helenmci
Original Author
3 years ago
Thank you E D. That is a concern. I don’t think we’ll use the fire but I want it to be safe in case someone does in the future. I’m sure it will come up in the survey when we eventually sell
glendevon
3 years ago
I love a fire but they are rather messy. You could easily burn smokeless coal/small logs in that grate, but think about the work looking after a fire, and storing and carrying fuel entails. Then there is the dust it causes and the essential chinmey sweeping and maintenance. We have a multi-fuel stove, and sometimes I wish I could just flip a switch rather than clear the grate, lay the fire, sweep up etc etc. However, it is a main source of heat, so we need it. If your existing heating is good I would just use this lovely fire ornamentally.

Also, an open chinmey usually causes drafts!
Dan Elkington
3 years ago
We put in a similar one. It might be too small for wood on it's own but you can burn logs on a bed of coal or smokeless fuel to get the heat.
Little Jem
3 years ago
We inherited a supposed "dual fuel" stove with our house. We have had it swept and maintained properly, but it was pointed out that the lining of the chimney was not of the required standard for dual fuel - only for wood !! It had been done 'on the cheap' ... We decided to use it instead of central heating if/when we were both at home, and opened the doors on the ground floor so heat could circulate. It does a good job of that ! We started off burning wood, but soon realised that it had to bve 'fed' almost every couple of hours - wood burns through very quickly. We've used coal recently, and find that much better, as it only needs making up a couple of times during the day. It's OK as long as we don't mix fuel, apparently. We know it's probably not the best environmentally, but couldn't afford to put in something like a heat source pump.
anthea page
3 years ago
i bought a n old cast iron fireplace from a neighbour with bits missing but Period Fireplaces Station Road, Bristol made all the missing bits for a very reasonable price and installed it and gave me the certificate. I've been having real fires and it's fabulous!! smokeless coal ones..

james Nightingale at Gloucester Road Reclamation Bristol has a good selection of cast iron fireplaces and can deliver them for you to period fireplaces for renovation.

I have just bought an Art Nouveau one, with no grate from James for one of my bedrooms which is going to period fireplaces for repair and fit eventually.. This will be the 4th fireplace i have installed in my 1931 house.
Tony
3 years ago
I’m sorry but the fireplace and the cast iron grate just don’t go together and were never designed to do so. A better option is to install a small multi fuel cylindrical stove, recessed as far back as possible with a metal flue.
Helen McInnes
3 years ago
Thanks Anthea Page. That's a really good tip. I've just sourced my hearth from Bristol. It seems like the place to go for nice fire things :-).
anthea page
3 years ago
Period fireplaces also supply the granite inserts. I bought a lovely oak mantelpiece on line and Period Fireplaces fitted it with the inserts..looks very grand!

Reinstating a Victorian fireplace - wood or coal or both?

E D

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Reinstating a Victorian fireplace - wood or coal or both?

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