Stone has been used in the building of fireplaces since the 12th century, when the side and rear walls were fashioned from rough stone. Many examples of these traditional stone fireplaces can be seen all over the country, in castles or amongst castle ruins.
Stone has long been used in the building of fireplaces as a result of its durability and beauty, and for this reason it has been used to build fireplaces in grand homes such as castles and country houses for hundreds of years.
In the 16th century, stone surrounds were very popular – large numbers of houses were built for the merchant classes, and, in smaller homes, the surround was very plain. In large palaces or mansions, the great staterooms had elaborately carved stone fireplaces: Reigate Priory in Surrey has a fine example of such a fireplace on the north wall of the great hall. These fireplaces were surrounded by equally grand huge oak carved surrounds, which often bore the owner’s initials and coat of arms. In Tudor times, the fireplace was the most important item of decoration in the principal room.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, fireplaces were merely faced with slabs of either stone or slate, but the rising middle classes demanded something more stylish. Stone was used as an inner lining of the fire, but carved timber surrounds became established in the middle-class home. Only in the grandest homes would the mantel have been fashioned from carved stone or marble. The Victorian era saw the advent of the cast iron fireplace, and surrounds would be fashioned from stone, wood or marble. A grand example of such a fireplace is the one designed by William Burges in the medieval great hall at Cardiff Castle.
The 20th century saw a wide range of stone fireplaces introduced. At the end of the First World War, huge council housing estates were built and the fireplace mantels in these houses were made from stone, tile or brick. Some were fashioned in the mould of the traditional stone fireplace, whilst others were more contemporary. In houses built in the fifties and sixties, the living room fireplace was often finished in stone or brick, and these were very contemporary, often being influenced by Scandinavian patterns.
Traditional stone fireplaces are still very popular today. As well as beauty and durability, this traditional material is very much in demand due to the choice of stone available. Flint, chalk, sandstone, limestone and granite are all used in the manufacture of fireplaces, and there are a number of finishes to choose from, including pitched, riven, rubbed, tooled or polished.
