I hope you agree these fireplaces, renovated, are a small improvement on the old! The Adam surrounds were carefully removed and crated up to be stripped and repainted – not an easy job, as the decorative elements are resin and easily damaged. I changed the proportions of the slips and opening, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to improve the draw. The new slips are Derbyshire Fossil, which comes from a “once-a-week” Quarry in Derbyshire and has been much used in Chatsworth House. It’s packed full of fossilised marine creatures which inhabited shallow tropical seas 3,500, 000 years ago…that’s some history! The hearths are Caithness slate and the interiors are clad with ribbed cast iron.
