Illustrated Architecture Dictionary ....................... Illustrated FURNITURE Glossary

Fireplace Terms

"The castle was a vast stone and timber building that evolved from one large room, the great hall. Until the introduction of the fireplace in the fourteenth century, fires were made on the stone floor with an open window providing ventilation. To safeguard against the risk of fire, ceiling heights exceeded twenty feet, a characteristic that endures as a symbol of greatness and wealth." - Treena Crochet, Designer's Guide to Furniture Styles," pub. 2204, p. 135

Even after the fireplace was made technically obsolete by the widespread use of the stove and by central heating, it retained a symbolic and decorative importance. Moreover, an open fireplace was a sign of wealth.

Click on illustrations below for larger size
Chimneyboard - a board, usually painted, fitted into the opening to stop draughts when the fire was not in use, especially in the summer

Illustration: MacKay Homestead, Genesee Country Village, & Museum

Chimney breast - the stone, brick or cement structure that projects into a room and contains the fireplace flue

Illustration: Richmond-Lockwood House

Other examples:

Coal scuttle - a box or bucket used as a coal receptacle. Sometimes made of brass and ornamented.

Illustration: Private collection, Orchard Park, NY

Other examples:

Dog grate - a freestanding basket grate intended to hold wood (vs. hob grate)

Illustration: Metcalfe House

Other examples:

Entablature, including frieze - In classical architecture, the top of an Order, horizontally divided into cornice (top), frieze (middle), and architrave (bottom)

Entablatures are supported by columns, or, in the case of fireplaces, sometimes by ancones (in the illustration to the left) or pilasters

Illustration: Miller House

Other examples:


Fender - a low, metal guard made of iron and/or brass, used to protect the rug or floor from flying embers or sparks from the fire.


Fireback - a thick iron plate placed at the back of a hearth to protect the wall and reflect heat into the room.

Illustration: Spencer Kellogg Jr. House

Other examples:


Firebox - Part of the fireplace where the actual fire burns

Firedog / Andiron - one of a pair of supports for logs in a fireplace

 Illustration: Richmond-Lockwood House

Other examples:


Fireplace - an opening at the base of a chimney, usually an open recess in a wall, in which a fire may be built; a structure surrounding a fireplace.

Illustration: Philip Smith House / College Club House

Other examples:

Fire screen / Cheval screen / pole screen - Any screen set in front of a fireplace to prevent flying sparks or embers from entering the room

Illustration: Cheval screen - Stella Lowry House


Gas logs - A gas burner designed to look like a log for use in a fireplace.

 Illustration: Hewitt House/Inn Buffalo

Gas radiant heater

Illustration: 143 Linwood Avenue

Other examples:

Grate - a metal open basket in which coal or wood is burned in a fireplace.

See dog grate above and hob grate below


Hearth - floor of the fireplace, usually extending into a room and paved with brick, flagstone or cement.


Cooking hearth: brick-  or stone-lined fireplace, with or without an oven, used for heating and originally also used for cooking food   

Illustration: Lafayette Presbyterian Church

Other examples:

Hob grate - A cast-iron grate in which the fire basket is supported off the ground, between two flat hobs (sidepieces). Intended for charcoal

Illustration: Ansley Wilcox Mansion / Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site

Jamb - One of a pair of vertical posts or pieces forming the sides of a door, window frame, or fireplace

Illustration: Electric Tower / Niagara Mohawk Building

 Other examples:

Mantel / mantle

1. Finish around a fireplace

2. Shelf above a fireplace

Illustration: Seymour H. Knox House

Other examples:

Mantelpiece/ Chimneypiece - a fireplace surround and its overmantel

Illustration: Lockwood House

Other examples:

Overmantel / Topper - space above a mantelshelf, or the front of a chimney breast; a decorative panel often incorporates a mirror or painting

Illustration: Ansley Wilcox Mansion / Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site

Other examples:

Slip - Brick slips (often referred to as brick tiles or brick veneers) are thin cuts of real brick, or in some cases purpose-made brick tiles, commonly used to replicate the appearance of a conventional brick wall in both internal and external applications.

"Brick slips are cut from full-size bricks. The face of the brick is removed, usually at about 20mm thick. These thin slices of brick replicate the appearance of the conventional brick. Just like the traditional brick, there are a wide variety of styles and colours allow you to create both contemporary and traditional looking walls. Brick slips are easy to install. The brick slips are glued to an insulation panel or wall on site. Once you have pointed the bricks slip, they cannot be distinguished from a traditional brick wall." - Real Brick Ltd. (online April 2019)

Illustration:  Bemis/Ransom House

Other examples:

Summer piece - a decorative piece, probably made of steel for lightness, that could be placed in front of the grate when not in use

Illustration: River Lea

Other examples:

Surround - an encircling border or decorative frame

Illustration: Seymour H. Knox House

Other examples:

Photos and their arrangement © 2003 Chuck LaChiusa
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