STONE FIREPLACES - AN INTRODUCTION
Stone fireplaces have been at the heart of our home for as long as men have been building homes. Men have, for thousands of years been using stone to surround our fires, so it is hardly suprising that most people find a stone fire surround the most natural thing.
The most common stone used today in modern stone fireplaces is probably Portuguese limestone. It has a fine textured grain and a warm natural colour that is hard to beat.
But it is by no means the only stone available. Cotswold stone is a warm honey coloured sandstone from the English west country.
Yorkstone is an old traditional favourite, a stone that has a world wide reputation for quality. The colours are usually darker buff.
Portland stone is a famous white and cream limestone that has built much of the city of London.
Bathstone is a similar colour to cotswold but with a finer grain.
All of these stones are used to make fire surrounds, the one thing they all have in common is that the fireplaces will be high quality. It takes time and skill for a stonemason to make a natural stone fireplace and only by producing high quality work will justify the cost.
Natural stone fireplaces can be found in a huge range of designs and styles, Traditional tudor style, modern contemporary and even avente guarde!
Whatever design you choose, no-one who has studied a natural stone surround will ever again mistake artificial for real thing.