Fireplace Exposed...

[paddytt]

We obtained Listed Consent to remove a fireplace from our house, and the pictures below show what has been exposed. We have a wooden beam quite high up, and a nicely curved red brick opening, but the bricks are badly damaged in places. The sides have been bricked up and there's lots of cement everywhere.

A strange alteration was made to the chimney when the fireplace was installed - the depth was reduced, and a narrow corridor was created through the middle of the chimney breast to get access to the other side of the house! It's a really awful alteration in an otherwise nice house.

Therefore our main driver to remove the fireplace was to expose the original (successfully done!) and rebuild the chimney to the original depth.

We also have consent to open up a new opening in a wall, subject to prior inspection - hence the plaster that has been removed in the last photo.

Any suggestions on the best way forward from here?

 

[Zebra]

Sorry, it may be the glass of wine I've had alreay, but dont understand, if you want to expose the origignal back of the fireplace, but the original has been domelished to make way for a corridor, then surely it's not there to expose....? :?

 

[paddytt]

No, it's the front that we have already exposed. The back was rebuilt to create the corridor - and it's here that we want to restore the original depth.

Here is a photo of the corridor - instead of a full depth fireplace, there are now two shallow fireplaces on each side. The one we are looking to rebuild is through the door on the left.



regards

TT

 

[Lime]

I'm not sure I'd want to put the flues back to how they were.
Not because I like the corridor but because I cannot see what work has been done to the brickwork to achieve the corridor.
You may reveal structural alterations or bodges that will demand £1000s to correct.
It seems an awful lot of work for what?
What is the physical reason you want to deepen the fireback?
Can the fireplace not be utilised as is?

Looking at the pictures, what would concern me is integrity of the wooden beam/lintel within the breast.
Did the corridor alterations cause the flue to be cut back to the back of the beam so that it is exposed to flue gases?