Victorian Fireplace

The current trend for retro look interior design influences has led to the Victorian fireplace being a popular and stylish item in many homes. Typically a cast iron grate with tile and marble surround, many houses from the Victorian era still boast these attractive and often very valuable original items, and they are treasured by designers for their authentic looks and the way they integrate with a room.

While there is little merit in putting a Victorian style fireplace in a modernist apartment, a Victorian or Edwardian style house, one with high ceilings and sash windows, will benefit greatly from what would have been the original style of fireplace for the building. The beauty is often in the construction of the surround, the decorative nature of the tiling and the way the fire looks as a whole across the room.

In the 1950's and ‘60's it was commonplace for home owners to update their decor and the Victorian fireplace was often hidden away – or sometimes ripped out – to make way for the modern style of wall mounted gas or electric fire, similar to those popular today. These do not look the part if you are taking your house back to its original look – or something similar – and there are many suppliers of authentic, and sometimes original, Victorian fireplaces and surrounds that can be bought at very good prices and fitted without trouble.

Some houses may still retain their original fireplaces – sometimes hidden away and sometimes still in use – and the superior build quality will often mean they are in very good condition; if you suspect your home had one in place and it is still there, look behind any plasterboard on the chimney breasts.

For information on, and suppliers of, Victorian fireplaces the internet is the place to look, and a quick web search for Victorian Fireplaces will bring up a wealth of information for you to begin with.