Mantlepiece and grate styles have altered however the basic structural aspects of a fireplace haven't radically changed for years and years. The first combination of a large stone or brick opening having a chimney built over it started out the obvious fact that smoke rises, rather than from the scientific understanding of how a well-designed flue system works. Consequently early wood and later coal-burning fires were very inefficient also it was not until a certain Benjamin Thompson (also called Count Rumford) produced his thesis on the principles of fireplace design in 1799 that smaller grates and improvements within the internal form of the openings were introduced.
A brick or stone enclosure forms the foundation from the fireplace. Variously known 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 the house, emerging over the top to create a chimney stack. Towards the top of the opening the gather and flue combine to transport the smoke up the chimney. If the chimney is shared by several fireplaces on different floors, it might contain more than one flue.
The masonry within the fireplace opening is based on a lintel or a brick arch. Old inglenook fireplaces used massive oak beams, whereas a powerful iron strap usually supports an earlier brick arch. Later fireplaces may have a straight arch supported by angle iron, by the twentieth century cast concrete lintels were the norm.
A hearth, made of non-combustible materials such as stone or tile-faced concrete, projects out into the room to safeguard the floor from falling ashes. In many old houses the hearth was set flush with the floor, although sometimes a superimposed one was used to boost the level. The area inside the fireplace opening, referred to as back hearth, is generally level with the hearth itself. Your dog grate for burning wood or coal can be placed on this back hearth. However, through the mid-nineteenth century the mass produced cast-iron register grate which filled the opening, took over as fashion.
To accomplish the assembly, a mantelpiece or mantel - or fireplace surround, as it is known as today - is fitted to frame the grate or fireplace opening. The mantel might be made of stone, slate, marble, wood or cast iron. The walls around it may be carried out with wood paneling, or more commonly with plaster, and in some cases the mantel extends upwards to create an impressive chimneypiece. Mirrored overmantels were introduced in the late eighteenth century, and these became the classic feature of Victorian sitting rooms.
Within this fireplace a wide open fire burning wood or coal is really a cheerful sight, but if it's your only supply of heat, since it was for centuries, this romantic image can soon fade especially if the fire does not burn properly. Getting a fire started and keeping it alight then gets a challenge, otherwise a chore. For wood and coal fires to lose well a good supply of air is needed underneath the grate, as well as 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 can be done and waste ash can fall with the grate so the fire is not stifled. When the chimney is inadequate or the flow of air is bound the fire won't function effectively.
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