Please help me date my fireplace

[Hmmph]

We have recently moved house and have a fireplace in the lounge.
I am trying to work out if it is original or not.

Anyone good at dating fireplaces?

I am deliberately not revealing the age of the house...

c20fireplaces.co.uk/original-fireplace-complete/f571_1930s-brick-effect-fireplace

ive found this on-line

I rather like that. Some people used to paint quarry tiles as yours have been, you could get that all off. We have them in our front porch (1920's bungalow) the only original feature left, all fireplaces/chimneys removed by previous owners and they were polished/painted red when we got here. Now just natural as I've never done anything with them other than mop every once in a while.

Second picture makes me pretty certain it's not original. The construction just seems off.

I have a particular interest in the history of 19th / 20th domestic architecture - studied it as part of my degree.

I thought it was 1920s / 30s until I saw the close-up picture and that has made me think it's much newer, but built in the style of an interwar house. I think the tiles might be older / original / reclaimed.

I must say, whoever built it has done it very nicely and in keeping with the age of property. Perhaps it was inspired by an original one elsewhere? Have you checked with neighbours to see if the bricklayer has copied it from another local house?

I would keep it.

I'm wondering if it is original and has been sandblasted to remove paint and then re-pointed. The style is in keeping with the age of the house.

I'd keep it, I like it, whatever the age.

I would too - I'd strip the paint from the quarry tiles though.

I like it

It might well be
These came in during the 1930s- so late 20s isn't out of the question

Measure the bricks. If they are metric, then it's definitely a modern fireplace. Loads of info online about brick sizes.

Here is a close up of the tiles. We were planning to get rid of them and replacing with granite, but I'm having second thoughts now! How easy is it to clean off paint? They are 6" squares and 1/2" thick.

That looks like glaze rather than paint, which would be a very normal thing to do with unsealed quarry tiles, if you wanted a shiny look.

@hotfroth talks a lot of sense about measuring the bricks. I think it's been rebuilt, or at least partly rebuilt, to an old design.

Try one with paint stripper and see? It almost looks like varnish from your latest photo. If they are definitely 6" square then they are old.

Interesting and great idea! I have done some googling and have come across lots of fascinating information about dating house bricks but still looking for thin fireplace bricks!

The ones inside the fireplace which are bigger measure 6" by 2 3/4" or 15cm by 7cm. The rectangular ones in the surround are 6" by just over 1 1/2" or just over 15 cm by 4cm. So they don't seem to be either- the length is imperial and the height is metric!

Definitely 1980s, although I can see the mystery has been solved!!

It’s actually quite a good example of its type… well-built with nice ornamental bricks and decent timber.

That said it’s not to my taste at all… I should imagine that the proportions and materials are all wrong for the room and the house but if you like it you should keep it!! The pink carpet is doing it no favours!

The metric measurements seem more definite and don't forget that even in the 1980s there was still a mishmash of imperial and metric measurements. It's a lovely fireplace whether original or not.

Don't worry, the hideous carpet will definitely be going!

Thank you everyone for the thread. I do like the fireplace but wasn't sure if I was being a bit odd in liking it after the stove person who saw it assumed we'd want to get rid of it! Thank you for reassuring me I'm not insane.

I think in it dates before 1988 when the previous owners moved in as they gave us paperwork for everything they did to the house and I am sure a fireplace would have been included in that. The previous owners lived here from 1973 to 1988 so probably them. And it was the original owners before them.

We do have original ceilings and picture rails.

I'm saying 1980's - based on the colour/cleanliness of the brickwork

We kept a fireplace once that everyone else presumed we’d get rid off. By the time we’d moved it had become a bit more desirable!

I think if you quite like it, then keep it.

Late 70’s early 80’s.

@Hmmph I'd have to move if it was original!! I think it's very ugly BUT you'd probably hate my taste, so what I think doesn't matter. I think you should keep it if you like it, no matter the age. I said 1980's, BUT posters who seem to actually KNOW what they're talking about seem to say it coukd well be original, so before you do anything drastic to it I'd get professional advice (or as someone else suggested, knock on the neighbours & ask about theirs!! Cheaper & you might meet some nice people!!)

Difficult to see this clearly from the angle of your photo but the gas pipe looks very neatly fitted into the brick. This will not be an original from the 1920s house build. I would say it was build when gas installed in the house later on (would guess 1960s).

Interesting choice to fit a pink carpet around the red tiles

Early 70s

If you keep the quarry tiles, once you've stripped them, waxing produces a nice look and protects.