Why Important
Elegance and refinement are evident in the designs of many late Georgian fire grates design in the Hamilton Square properties, their size and enrichment varying with the importance and function of the room.
What to look for
Dog-grates
A dog-grate is basically a free-standing fire-basket with vestigial andirons as legs, standing in the hearth against a plain cast-iron fireback. Dog-grates were manufactured in wrought iron, cast iron or bright steel, sometimes with brass or bronze frets and mouldings.
Hob-Grates
These stretched right across the fireplace opening, although the actual fire-basket occupied only the middle third and was flanked on either side by metal shelving or panels. Unlike the dog-grate, the hob was built into the fireplace; it fitted neatly into the square recess of the opening, the tolerance being taken up with slate, stone or marble slips. The walls of the fireplace above the hobs were usually plastered, although in some cases iron plates or Delft tiles were used to line the recess.
The three usual types of hob-grate, ‘double semi-circle’, ‘double ogee’ and ‘rectangular’, named according to the shape of the ornamented side panels or cheeks, were of cast iron, with bars of wrought iron.
When to look
When the initial detailed survey is undertaken. Collect photographs of the existing situation.
Undertake annual inspections or when the building has a change of use/occupancy.
How to fix
Due to the constant use under heat, repair can be difficult. It made be more cost effective to have a new grate made in the same design, or find a Architectural Salvage supplier for a similar design and size.
Avoiding creating problems
Avoid using a modern faux ‘look-alike’, as they are mostly for appearance, rather than practical use.
Even small signs of inappropriate style or material stands out, and can suggest that unsympathetic changes have made which can devalue the whole property.
Historical background
In its early form, a fireplace consisted of a pair of cast-iron firedogs which supported the ends of burning logs above the stone hearth.
A cast-iron fireback, decorated with reeding or a low-relief design, was placed against the wall to reflect the heat into the room.
When in the eighteenth century coal became the standard fuel, many Birkenhead households retained at least one pair of firedogs for occasional wood-burning and these might have carried early coal-burning iron fire baskets; the forerunners of the elegant Georgian dog-grate.