English Stone for Fireplaces

I love natural stone fireplaces, deeply and with a passion. This despite being trained as a marble mason!

Probably this is because my personal nature is relaxed and easy going, my preferance is for the softer warmer and more natural feel that a stone fireplace has.

The classy and stylish look of a marble fireplace is just not me!

This raises the tricky question of what is the best stone for a fireplace?

Let us first eliminate from our minds all artificial alternatives. Cast stone fireplaces are concrete, resin fireplaces are plastic. Why would you even consider putting such dross in your home?

So having disposed of that dreadful possibility lets look at the natural stones that are on offer.

Of the british stones available the most common is probably Cotwold or Bathstone. I have lumped these together as they are very similar in colour and character. They are sandstones, and are therefore generally sandy golden yellow in colour. They will often have fossilised shell and quartz viening running through the stone. The stone is fairly coarse by nature giving a soft and very natural look to the fireplace. Because of this the stone does not readily take sharp edges or fine detail. Detail work such as mouldings and carvings will have a soft slightly diffused look. Choose these types of stone for a very natural and rustic look and the warm golden colour.

The stonemasons of Yorkshire have been making stone fireplaces for hundreds of years and still do so today.

Yorkstone is also a sandstone, but of a finer nature than Cotswold or Bathstone. The commonest colour for Yorkstone fireplaces is usually buff or grey, slightly darker in colour than sandstone and with detail work and carvings sharper, as the stone itself is of a finer grade. Fireplaces made from Yorkstone will often have natural colour variations, viening and mineral strata running through the stone.

Examples of Yorkstone fireplaces

Portland stone is a classic limestone used on many of Britains finest buildings for hundreds of years. Any Portland stone fireplace will also be a classic, the hand crafted product of an English craftsman. Portland stone is a light creamy coloured limestone from the south of England. Fine textured this stone will take to fine detail work and crisp carvings. Limestones by their very nature have fossilised sea shell embedded in the material. A quality Portland stone fireplace will be chosen from the finest grade of stone to keep the fossil content to a minimum. Choose portland stone for a truly classic looking fireplace, for its lighter coulour, the fine detail and as a link to a finer and more elegant past!

http://www.stone-fireplaces.co.uk/

Purbeck stone is a limestone similar in colour to Portland but has by nature a very high shell and fossil content. This makes working the stone a job for a specialist. A Purbeck stone fireplace will usually not feature the detail work of a Portland stone fireplace, usually being simpler and cleaner designs. However Purbeck stonemasons are highly skilled and can produce some outstanding stone fireplaces.

 http://www.purbeckstone.co.uk/index_links/kitchens.htm

The art and craft of stonemasonry is still alive and well and is available to you! Search on the internet for natural english stone fireplaces. There may be other local stones being worked near you.

Sourcing your stone fireplace from a local stone will make your fireplace very special. Search your local yellow pages for local stonemasons using local stones, not all stonemasons are on the internet.

Many of us are still in the stone-age!

PS If you happen to be, or know of, a stonemason working in an English stone not mentioned here, add a comment below and I will do a bit of research and add the stone to the article.