Klaus has been busy uncovering fireplaces. At the moment we’re just removing the heaters that were in front of them. The room we are turning into our kitchen / diner is the best as a guide.

Here’s a before shot that shows both chimney stacks in that room.

The one in the foreground we have knocked out ready to replace with something more period appropriate.

The one at the back we are going to leave open and use the recess to slot our oven in. The only problem we have at the moment is that the stack needs to stay structurally secure (obviously) and so a lintel has been put in, but also wide enough to fit our range oven in. Currently that looks like this.

The oven is actually in shot covered by a forlorn piece of curtain to protect it. Around the stack we’ll have work surface and shelves.

And then upstairs in the bathroom and sitting room we have the following. The beer can is a bit of unfortunate art direction.

 We will at some point take the paint off the sitting room fire surround and fingers crossed we’ll find something good underneath.

Again we’ll look to replace these. The sitting room should be a working fire again. But the fireplace in the bathroom will probably end up being in a small study area and so we’ll have to see what works in there.

All the old heaters we’ve removed and put in the front garden ready to go to the tip have been taken by members of the public before we had a chance. I dread to think what they are doing with them as I am pretty sure at least one was rained on.