February, 
1918 
31 
In the fitting of this fireplace is a fireback de¬ 
picting Father Time. Andirons and tool stand 
are early English; fender of steel 
A pierced brass fender gives a finishing touch 
to a fireplace with a cast iron hob grate. The 
tool stand is wrought iron 
HOW TO BUY FIREPLACE FIXTURES 
The History Behind Hob and Dog Grates — Construction 
and Material that Comprise Good Modern Craftsmanship 
DUDLEY H. CLULOW 
Illustrations by Courtesy of Arthur Todhunter 
quently to be found as a decorative feature. 
In the course of time—about the end of the 
13th Century to be exact—with the devising 
of better means of disposing of the smoke 
from the fire, the hearth was moved from 
the middle of the room to a side wall. At 
first a hood was built out from the wall, to 
catch the smoke and convey it to an outlet 
higher up in the wall. Similar canopies of 
stone, beautifully carved, are to be observed 
in the elaborate fireplaces of the French and 
Italian Renaissance. 
In the declining years of the 14th Century, 
the hearth was thrust out, forming a recess, 
with the chimney built against i nd projecting 
from the outside wall, and from that time the 
fireplace developed by gradual stages but with 
little further material change. The opening 
became dignified with a frame or mantel, to 
Wrought ii 
tool stand 
brass 
T 
1 HE fireplace is un¬ 
doubtedly the most 
important feature of a 
room, and consequently 
should be made to form 
the nucleus for its deco¬ 
ration. 
This result cannot, of 
course, be accomplished 
unless the individual 
pieces which go to make 
up the furnishings of the 
fireplace are carefully selected in order that 
a certain harmony be established. The pieces 
must not only harmonize one with another but 
with the room as a whole. 
The Original Hearth 
In the old days of the 12th and 13th Cen¬ 
turies, the fire was built upon a large hearth 
in the center of the main dining hall, and 
sometimes raised above the level of the stone 
floor. The same fire was used not only for 
warmth but for cooking also; the latter being 
done by attaching the sides of meat to iron 
spits suspended on firedogs over the burning 
logs, in this way permitting the roast to be 
revolved as it cooked, first to one side and 
then to the other. From this is derived the 
expression “done to a turn.” These firedogs, 
connected by a billet bar, were the early pro¬ 
totypes of the andirons of the present day and 
in general form have retained to a remark¬ 
able degree their early characteristics. Spit- 
hooks, though no longer used, are still fre- 
which, for convenience, a 
shelf was added later. 
With the advent of cast 
iron in the early part of 
the 16th Century, this new 
material began to supplant 
the use of stone. It was 
quickly discovered that 
cast iron was more dura¬ 
ble for the back of the Early English 
fireplace, and it therefore wrought iron 
replaced the brick and tile stand 
formerly used, which more or less rapidly dis¬ 
integrated with the heat of the fire and had 
to be renewed. The first iron firebacks were 
very crude, but as the art of casting improved, 
they became more artistic in both form and 
design. On some are depicted mythological 
or historic subjects and others bear the coats 
of arms of the owners or the reigning monarch 
emblazoned in bold relief. A number of these 
interesting originals are still preserved to us. 
They cover a very wide range and good repro¬ 
ductions made in a number of instances from 
impressions of these old backs can be bought 
at very moderate prices. Their use at once 
lends an added touch of interest to the fire¬ 
place, and, with the glow of the fire on them, 
are most attractive. 
Coal and the Brazier 
The first form of grate was an iron basket 
or brazier for the burning of charcoal, and 
although it is recorded that coal was mined 
(Continued on page 80) 
