Victorian Fireplaces

The traditional Victorian Fireplaces that most people are familiar with are still popular today with home buyers looking to re-instate the period Victorian look, that has often been ripped out of the heart of many period houses by builders and home improvers in an effort to modernise old properties. Removing an original Victorian fireplace can reduce a properties value by hundreds or even thousands of pounds, as the fireplace was always the focal point of a room with no expense spared to shout out the opulence and wealth of a Victorian household.

Unfortunately today the size of the plasma screen has much the same effect, but why buy a character period property with attention to detail in the sash windows, decorative coving and ceiling roses, wide oak floorboards, high skirting, solid wood doors and the 'piece de resistance' the fireplace, only to spend thousands of pounds ripping the heart out of the house to replace it all with bamboo laminate flooring, minimalist mdf furniture, a futon, plastic windows and a fake electric fire half way up the wall with a built in fan heater and 'realistic flame effect'.

OK, so we don't have to live in the Victorian age surrounded by decorative clutter, but maybe we should appreciate the design elements of the fireplace and its purpose, which was to be the centre of the home where everyone would gather to huddle round. The fireplace was there to keep us warm on dark cold nights, to make us feel cosy and bring us together, provide a source of light to sit around an tell tall stories and tales. Is there anything better than sitting cuddled up with the lights turned low, a warm mug of milk, a box of chocolates, good company and the flickering glow of a log fire whilst the rain and sleet mink lashes through the dark night against the window pane. (Apart from the football on the box)

If you decide that the latter option is for you and you've decided you want to reinstate a Victorian fireplace into your period property, there are several options available to you.

You could buy a original reclaimed fireplace from a salvage yard. These tend to be extremely costly if they are complete with all the original parts but are of course the most sympathetic to the building and the environment as you are recycling.

Another option is to buy a modern fireplace in the style of a Victorian fire. But this can be a false economy as most buyers of Victorian houses, are after original features and a mock Victorian fireplace can stand out like a sore thumb (or a 52" plasma screen) in a Victorian living or drawing room.

By far the best option would be to buy authentic reproduction Victorian fireplaces. Manufacturers source original fireplaces and ship them to foundries where they use the originals to create moulds and reproduce new cast iron fireplaces in exactly the same way as the originals. The beauty of this method is that imperfections in the castings etc. means that once fitted, you can't tell the difference if the fireplaces are original or not, but cost a fraction of the price of the original. Adding a reproduction fireplace as a room feature can also add value to your period home.

At the end of the day which ever option you go for is down to you, but think long and hard before you rush into buying a fireplace for your period property. Do you really need a 52" plasma?