Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/311

 FIXTURES FOR COTTAGE DWELLINGS. 287 consists in their being exclusively constructed of iron. We hope the clay is not very far distant when open fireplaces will be considered as relics of barbarism, and will be altoge- ther banished from every room in British houses, except the kitchen : in the mean time, we recommend the cottager who persists in indulging his prejudice for the sight of an open fire, to form the sides and back of liis fireplace with fire brick or fire stone ; and to use no iron whatever in its construction, but four bars for a front to tlie fuel chamber and a bottom grate, which, together, in cast iron, will not cost more than 3s. or 4s. The most convenient fire bricks are what are called Welsh or Stourbridge lumps, from the names of the places where they are made ; that is, masses of burnt clay, eighteen inches or two feet long, nine inciies or a foot broad, and six or eight inches thick. One of these maj' form the back of the fireplace, and two others the two sides, as in fig. 533 ; in which a 5SS c l! a f 3 represents the front bars ; b, the bottom grate ; c, the plan of the fireplace, the bars, grate, and Welsh lumps being shown in their proper places ; d, the elevation ; c, the section of the front bars, and the bottom grate, showing the inclination of the latter, f, towards the back of the fire chamber, in the proportion of about one inch in six, with a view of giving the ashes a tendency to the back ; and g, a section of one of the front bars, of nearly its full size, showing the upper surface inclining towards the back of the grate, in the pro- portion of half an inch to an inch, h being the front of the bar. The nearer the fuel- chamber is placed to the hearth, the more heat will be radiated into the room from the increase produced in the space, i, between the grate and the chimney breast ; and, on the contrary, the nearer the fuel chamber is to the chimney breast, the less will be the heat radiated into the room, though the chimney will draw better. The Welsh or Stourbridge lumps at the sides should form with those of the back an angle of forty-five degrees or upwards. In a fireplace of this sort a fire is much more easily lighted, and much less liable to go out when neglected, than in one having the back or sides of iron. It also con- sumes the fuel much moi-e effectually ; and, by not radiating the heat so rapidly from its surface as iron, it creates less draught up the cliimney, and consequently carries less heat out of the room. When the mass of fire brick is once thoroughly heated, it retains heat for many hours after the fire has been extinguished ; so that, if the fire is at any time suffered to go out from neglect, the room is not so soon cooled as it would be, under similar circumstances, bj the radiating and conducting powers of cast iron. Where the grate is raised somewhat higher than is shown in fig. 533, a drawer may be added to the front bars, and bottom grate under the latter, for receiving the ashes, so as to prevent them from raising a dust, by falling from the bottom grate to the hearth, and at the same time to retain more heat about the fire. The ashes may also be carried away in the drawer, in furtherance of the same object ; and by drawing it out more or less, or keeping it closely shut, the burning of the fire may be accelerated or retarded. As a further means of preventing the ashes from falling from the front bars on the hearth, the upper