It appears from recent newspaper articles and radio commentary that the penny has only recently dropped that, for energy-efficiency reasons, the 2014 building regulations put a curb on open fires in new homes.
The Victorians would have been astounded at the idea. They loved open fires so much that in a typical middle-class redbrick Victorian house in Dublin there were open fires in every room – from the scullery in the rear ground-floor return to the maid’s tiny attic room.
New means of industrial production encouraged the fashion, as from the late 1850s cast-iron fireplaces – or chimneypieces – were mass produced making a decorative fireplace an affordable option.
The early Victorian mass-produced chimneypieces came mainly in two parts: the newly designed cast-iron “register” grate which combined the grate, the fire back and the inner frame, and the surround which might also be of cast iron but for the reception rooms would be made from marble, slate or wood. Panels of tiles on either side of the grate were introduced to add colour and decoration but, until they too were mass produced towards the end of the 19th century, they were an expensive option only used in principal rooms – or at least rooms that may receive visitors.
Bedroom fireplaces typically did not have tile surrounds instead relying on the decorative details cast into the metal.
Matching marble and slate surrounds are common in Victorian interconnecting reception rooms with the less expensive black slate sometimes given a finish to make it look like marble. The grander the house, the grander the surround,with highly intricate carved versions borrowing from historical sources. To create a substantial feature in the room, these chimneypieces might be topped with elaborate carved wood overmantles, some with an inset mirror.
