It looks pretty unmolested, so it's probably an original thought the grate looks like a replacement and there's something odd about the fire back, do you know the age of your house and how grand it was originally intended to be? It could have been reclaimed but I doubt it. Could you also give some more photos of the grate bars and hearth please? Its beautiful anyway.

The hood is missing and the hearth looks modern to me.

Thanks for your responses. The house was built around 1900. Just wondering about the marble effect on the wooden surround too.

I thought this might be a cheap reproduction as original might have been slate. Was thinking of painting this part black (but not sure if that's a good idea).

Thanks for your responses. The house was built in 1900 - it's a 3 bed terraced property. Just wondering about the marble effect surround - this part is wooden too.

I think this is faithful to the period of the house- of course you never know if something is original.
The hearth looks new.
The hood is missing and if replaced would make it more faithful.
Grate polish would give you a better finish on the black cast iron than paint.
The “marble” is likely original as the Victorians loved a painted faux finish to make things look more opulent. Personally I would try to gently clean it and restore it. Research Linseed oil to decide if this might be the right product for your paintwork.

Like Joathan said, its missing its hood (I thought there was something wrong there) and the hearth is not original, but its also missing its original great, whats there should hook onto the fire surround and cover that blank area with a space for an air vent cover beneath.

A bit like this

Thanks very for your help. Getting a hood is next on my list!

Hmm. It looks like an attempt to reinstate a period fireplace.

I think both the surround and insert maybe authentic but not necessarily from your house. The reason I say that is because of the gap between the top of the insert and the surround. Usually this is proportional all the way around, but if surround and insert are matched up later they don't always have a perfect fit.

Add to that the missing hearth and hood and it feels like a restoration project that didn't get finished.

Actually it’s likely that at some point someone smash the hood and grate in order to them protruding so they could board over the opening and just keep the surround. I would be at all surprised if at some point there was a nasty gas fire there.

The proper way to restore this is to take it all out, put in an authentic hearth, then a new insert and lastly the surround.

However if you just like it as it is that’s fine too..... so do I

Probably against the grain but I’m not a fan of it and think it will be difficult to incorporate into a room (it looks out-of-place to me in the current setting), so although it’s possibly part/all original I’d remove it and look to modernise the space, you could then ever keep it or look to sell it on.

It's a good fireplace but takes over the small space. Difficult to remove as I'd need to change the whole floor too. It might have to be a paint job on the surround in the short term - I'll have a think! Thanks for your comments and suggestions everyone, much appreciated.

If it's not in use why not reduce the hearth. That will open up the space. If the floor is solid wood a skilled carpenter will be able to match it well. If it's engineered wood/laminate you can sometimes find a very good match and have a flooring company replace the cut boards.

Another option would be to lower the tiles so they are flush with the floor.

Hi

Looks like the valance has been taken off, there might be something we can do to reinstate it to get your fire functioning again.

Please get in touch on info@croydonfireplaces.co.uk (if you are in our area) and we can go from there. Or happy to help if you would like to modernise.