The Elegance of the Fireplace

For a million years, people have been coming together around fire.  At one time, this consisted of a hole in the ground, in the middle of a hut, with holes cut in the roof to let the smoke escape.  Fires at this time were usually placed right in the middle of the hut, giving everyone ample access to the heat on colder nights.  As time passed, and people began to construct multiple story houses, the traditional location for the fireplace moved to one of the outside walls of the building.  It was a bit of time before the chimney was invented, so much of the time, the poor residents of the house suffered through a bit of a smokey atmosphere.

During these times, it was wood that was burned in these fireplaces, with traces throughout history back to the mid 1700′s.  Through his use in metalwork, Abraham Darby discovered that cast iron was a cost effective way, to produce and to conduct heat.  As time moved forward and technology improved, fireplaces became not only an efficient way to heat a house or a building, but they became a significant symbol of style and elegance.  Thus their popularity grew, and produced in turn, more designers with more designs.

The basic workings and mechanics of the fireplace still remains the same however.  And today, just as they did a million years ago, people gather around the fireplace to tell tales, to share a meal, and to simply relax with those they love.  Many people today, especially those who grew up in the cold weather climates just simply cannot live without a fire place in their homes.  They provide consistent heat, and in the economic times of today, many people are finding that they can lower their winter monthly bills, by burning a fireplace throughout the day.  Not to mention, memories are evoked when a fire is blazing, and the warm feelings inside the body, are comparable to the warm temperatures out the body.