An architectural structure, a fireplace contains fire for the use of heating. Historically, fireplaces where also used for cooking purposes. The actual fireplace is contained within a fire pit or a firebox, and the chimney guides exhaust and smoke to escape into the environment. These days, fireplaces are a central feature in many households. Even when not required for cooking, fireplaces provide psychological comfort and soothing due to the relaxing quality of the crackling fire.
Fireplaces have been utilized for more than 1 million years, even though people think of them as more modern inventions. Cavemen who dug simple fire pits already created what are considered some of the first examples of fireplaces. These fire pits, which were nothing more than holes in the ground, were used to keep the cold away as well as for basics such as cooking. Fire pits had to be dug into the ground to avoid the problem of smoke failing to escape, which would occur if the fire pits would be built inside of a cave or other shelter.
Changes to Early Fireplaces
The 1100s marked a significant change in location for fireplaces. In the 1100s, fireplaces made the move from the middle of a structural dwelling to its walls. Also during this century, chimneys began to be used. Fire hoods also began to see more popularity at approximately this time, first utilized functionally and then also being used for ornamental reasons.
The Rise of Chimneys
Increasingly, people wanted fireplaces built into the second floor as buildings
started to have two stories. Fireplaces in the 1500s vented out the smoke horizontally from buildings; however, the likelihood that the smoke simply would come back was an ever-present problem. This time saw what benefits chimneys could provide. Chimneys encouraged the smoke from fireplaces to escape vertically, and architects began examining fireplace design and architecture more seriously.
Fireplace Design
The 1600s saw Christopher Wren, the noted English architect who redesigned St. Paul�۪s Cathedral, designing fireplaces to compliment the appearance of a room. Wren changed how the concept of fireplaces came to be viewed. His designs ensured that fireplaces would no longer conflict with the design of the rest of the space. Under Wren, fireplaces became an integral, architectural part of the room.
The Franklin Stove
In the 1740s, Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove, which placed the heat source at the middle of the room once more. David Rittenhouse, a fellow Philadelphia resident, corrected the Franklin stove�۪s flaw by incorporated an L-shaped stovepipe into the Franklin stove. This had the consequence of moving some air through the fire and, at the same time, venting the air out by way of the chimney. The industrial revolution contributed to the popularity and mainstreaming of fireplaces by giving rise to large housing developments that standardized fireplaces.
Architectural Elegance
By the 1800s, the fireplace�۪s fundamental structure was established. The structure at this point in history was composed of the insert and the surround. The insert is where objects are burned, while the surround is the fireplace�۪s sides and mantle, made from wood. The Victorian era even regarded fireplaces as adding a contribution of class to homes.
In the post-World War I environment, the Art Deco movement concentrated on function rather than form. The fireplaces constructed around this time represented the modern aesthetic values that Art Deco stressed. A few years later, following all the destruction wreaked by World War II, there was a real need for housing. With the ensuing rebuilding efforts, fireplaces that were prefabricated were introduced into the market.
Central Heating Takes Center Stage
In the middle of the 20th century, the fireplace�۪s role changed as central heating became the main source of heat. As a result, fireplaces began to be demoted into more decorative accessories rather than necessary ones. Around this time, there was also a refocusing on more traditional fireplace design because the significance of a hearth to the family unit was increasingly acknowledged. The fireplace has since become more of focal point for social gatherings.
Pre-Fabricated and Faux Fireplaces
In the 1970s, prefabricated fireplaces became all the rage because they were less expensive, both to construct and purchase, than traditional counterparts. From the 1980s onwards, a kind of environmental mindset began to dominate how people�۪s homes are heated, which led to a variety of different fireplaces being available on the market such as pellet appliances and wood burning stoves. Gel-burning fireplaces are also a good option for those who desire the ambiance of a fire without all of the mess of traditional fuels.
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