Antique fireplaces and mantels make a wonderful focal point in any room, but they are sadly lacking in many modern abodes. In the rush for clean lines and efficiency, the heart of the home has been lost – the hearth, that comforting place where family and friends used to gather to spend precious time together.
Not content with building fireplace-free homes, a whole generation ripped out antique fireplaces and mantels from period homes so that they could join the central-heating revolution. Now, people are desperately searching for period fireplaces and antique mantels so that they can, once again, enjoy the magic of the fireside.
There seems to be something typically English about antique fireplaces and mantels, but it would be a mistake to think that all were made in England – some of the most popular designs are continental. Whether you want to bring authentic character and warmth to a period home by installing an antique fireplace and surround of the corresponding age or you need a focal point for your modern home, there is a wide range on the market, with a fireplace to suit every room.
Sometimes, the antique fireplaces seen in our imagination are a mixture of styles taken from the television or glossy magazines – we have visions of warming our homes with cast iron fireplaces beneath marble mantelpieces with limestone surrounds. Faced with so much choice and so much history, confusion reigns!
The following pages will guide you through the maze of antique fireplaces and mantels available – when armed with the correct information, we promise that searching for an antique fireplace can and will be a thoroughly enjoyable experience!
