The earliest reference to the fireplace grate is to be found in the Oxford dictionary of 1605, where a grate is described as something that must be layed, wherein the coals of the fire must lie. Coal was used as a fireplace fuel from the Elizabethan era onwards, and this steadily accelerated amongst the townsfolk – families in the country carried on using wood in the fireplace for much longer.

Andirons were traditionally used to hold logs, but with the advent of coal, something was needed which would hold the coals together and allow adequate ventilation underneath. Thus, the fire grate was borne – the word grate is a shortening of the term grating, which is used to describe iron bars placed in a criss-cross pattern.

A grate is a freestanding fire basket with short legs that has raised sides to prevent the coal from falling out, with the space at the bottom providing the ventilation needed. It is hard to find very early examples of fire grate, due to ever-changing quality standards and fashions.

As coal became the norm in terms of domestic fuel, the fireplace grate became more and more prevalent. In the late Georgian period, andirons were referred to as dogs, and the grate subsequently became known as the dog-grate. These were in demand from the middle of the 18^th century, and popular design styles included Rococo, Gothic and Chinoisie. Two designers of the time, Ince and Mayhew, introduced the neoclassical dog grate, with a row of urns decorating the top, and some of the most elegant fireplace grates were made in the Adam tradition.

Two wood carvers from the Carron Company named the Howarth brothers produced beautiful dog-grates in the Adam style – the company had gained a royal charter in 1773 and from this point the Howarth brothers incorporated portrait medallions of George III and Queen Charlotte into their designs, along with the elegant ribbon and husk motifs. By this time, fire grates had become much wider, stretching across the entire fireplace opening.

Soon, families began to place bricks or masonry at either side of the fire grate, in order to cook food and/or keep it warm (known as the hob-grate). This slowly advanced and the hob began to be cast in metal and was moved into the grate itself – the kitchen range, based on much the same principle, was invented in the late 18^th century and has been popular ever since.

From the Victorian era, grates became squarer and simpler, and were more heavy and solid than their earlier counterparts. Made of cast iron, these grates provided excellent heat radiation, but a downside was that they tended to scatter ashes and cinders over a wide area. Later in the Victorian period, cast iron combined fireplaces became common, with the grate and surround being incorporated into one unit. These came in a variety of styles.

Today, there are many types of fireplace grate available at excellent prices on the market. Some households still use logs on their fire, and thus like to have traditional firedogs in their fireplace. However, most families burn coal, and thus possess a fire grate. Antique fire grates are available, but if these prove too expensive there are many reproductions to choose from.