Victorian Fireplaces - Exceptional Antiques from Westland London

Victorian, including William IV, Arts and Crafts, Aesthetic Movement, Art Nouveau and Art Deco antique fireplaces, mantels and chimneypieces in marble, stone, wood, cast iron and other metals.

Victorian and Edwardian Fireplaces (1837-1910)
Our Victorian fireplaces make up one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of antique chimneypieces and mantels found anywhere in the world. As the Edwardian era followed and overlapped the Victorian Era, we have also included our Edwardian fireplaces in this section.

The History
The Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837 to 1901) - and this being one of the longest reigns of a British monarch, her time as Queen saw not only a change of centuries, but also various transitions of interior styles and fashions. As the Industrial Revolution flourished, mass production meant more goods were readily available, with the emerging middle classes beginning to take pride in decorating their homes with items that had previously only been available to the wealthy.

Victorian Design Features
Victorian furniture, such as a Victorian Fireplace, was rarely consistent with one particular style - revival styles such as Gothic and Rococo were among the most common to be seen in furniture designs during this time. Designs from the Victorian era often featured combinations of earlier styles, and were greatly influenced by travels to the Far East and The Orient - a new sense of the exotic began to influence design and style as can be seen in Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces.

The function of the Victorian Fireplace - The Heart of the Home
Early- and mid-Victorian fireplace styles are characterised by ornate and intricate designs, often focused on floral patterns which have proved to be very popular in modern-day reproductions. Later Victorian fire surround designs became more geometric and clean-cut, but both late and earlier designs are a true reflection of the distinctive skills possessed by craftsmen at the time.

Victorian fireplaces stood at the heart of the home and were considered to be the focal point of the room. Fireplace sizes would have depended on the room in question - for example, areas where guests were received featured fireplaces and mantels of the grandest designs.

These Victorian fireplaces were made of a number of different materials, including Victorian cast iron fireplaces, white marble fireplaces and gothic marble fireplaces.

Along with the ornamentation of the Victorian fireplace mantel, fire screens, which had previously served solely functional purposes, gave Victorian women an opportunity to display their decorating skills. Victorian fireplaces are among the most sought after and popular types of antique mantels to be found in British homes today, as people strive to restore original period features and incorporate antique styles into their modern homes.

The Edwardian Era and the Edwardian Fireplace
The Edwardian Era covers the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. However, this is sometimes extended from the 1890s to the First World War to capture long-term trends. Edwardian homes were designed with larger halls and living rooms with an emphasis on air and light. By the late 1890s it became more common for homes of the middle to upper class to have electricity, phones, indoor plumbing, and even a car. Edwardian architecture is generally less ornate than Victorian architecture except for the Edwardian Baroque revival which prized one thing above all and that was showing off. The Edwardian fireplaces were simpler than the Victorian and often featured Georgian and Art Nouveau details.