My Fireplace World

In the 19th Century the most famous of all fireplace creators were the Adams brothers, John, Robert and James. Sons of William Adams, Scotland’s foremost architect at the time, the brothers began their career in general architecture.
Robert in particular moved in to fireplace design and some of his creations now grace the rooms in some of the worlds premier stately homes. Robert was fond of using natural marble, in particular Italian Carrara marble, which was hand carved by the finest UK artisans. An original Adam fireplace can sell for upward of £20,000 and there are some deemed as priceless.

In days past, families would gather around the fireplace in the living room or kitchen, often after a shared dinner and discuss the days events. Why would they gather around the fireplace…… it was probably the only heated room.

It was a time for children to speak with their parents to enjoy each others company and conversation to bond and of course in an enclosed room to develop the ability to get on. It was a time when social skills could be developed and advice administered, a time for debate and argument, a time for falling out and making up and a time for discovery of each others feelings.

Now what…… the whole house is heated, often with the windows open, heating the sky, damaging the environment and polluting the planet. But more practically, the children are likely to be upstairs in their own bedrooms watching TV or playing on the computer, the husband in one room and maybe the wife in another. After dinner each will scurry off to their own little sanctuary. I’m convinced that if there was only one room in the house that was heated then we would begin to see families bonding again, social skills being honed and husbands and wives beginning to talk again.
I make light, I know… but it does make you wonder…… doesn’t it?

Working in the fireplace industry, I often wonder what it is that drives customers to purchase fires and fireplaces. It is quite clear, in many cases, that the reason is not for the provision of heat as modern day central heating systems combined with better home insulation provide more than adequate warmth.
However there is something that drives 2 million homeowners every year to buy or replace their fireplace.
Some do it for vanity, to be the first to get their hands on the newest design of a contemporary new piece and some do it for practical reasons however most people buy a fireplace because they enjoy the idea of creating a focal point in the room around which they can share experiences.

Since the beginning of time man has been drawn to the living flame. Over 100,000yrs ago man created fire and discovered its benefits. Protection, warmth and of course a transformation in the preparation of food. Imagine a life where you could only eat cold uncooked food.

But back to the allure of fire and its almost magical attraction. There is something romantic about gathering around a natural fire, as a large group of friends at a celebratory gathering or more intimately as a couple toasting marshmallows under a starlit sky. If alone in a deserted area, desert, scrub or the arctic wasteland there is a certain comfort and feeling of safety to be derived from close proximity to a fire.

Why…………nobody knows, but one thing is for sure, 100,000 yrs of evolution is not going to be eroded overnight and I’m sure people will continue to fell the same way about fire that our ancestors have felt for a very long time.