Regency Fireplaces

The Regency, politically, lasted only a few years. Stylistically, however, it is recognized as a period of about thirty years, but its influence is even more far reaching. The Prince Regent, who subsequently became George IV was described as "the First Gentleman of Europe," and the Regency, perhaps owing partly to the enduring popularity of Jane Austen's works has long been associated with a kind of quintessential Englishness. It is no surprise then that Regency design is still admired, even at the beginning of the new millennium.

Regency domestic interiors tended towards comfort and intimacy. Architects like the Adams brothers, who were in fact more celebrated for their interiors than their exteriors, drew inspiration (like their predecessors) from Classical art, but reinvented it with a greater lightness of touch.

Lighter Classical Regency Designs

They perfected a style of fireplace that was emulated by generations after. Smaller and visually lighter than earlier designs, they were created partly in sympathy with the smaller chimney pieces in contemporary townhouses, and because furniture in general was becoming finer and more manoeuvrable. Emphasis was placed upon the quality of the material; in Regency pieces one should expect to find the use of exotic woods, marble, sometimes contrasting marbles are used, and perhaps brass inlay on the hob or fascia.

It is very rare to find the use of pediments, or any kind of overmantel, such as were occasionally seen in Georgian design, but the jambs in the form of columns or pilasters were often more ornate.

Grecian and Romanesque Influences

Fashioned like Ionic, or sometimes Corinthian columns, they were slender but well rounded with scrolled capitals, or capitals carved to look like leaves or flowers. Garlanding was popular, honeysuckle being a distinctive Adam motif, alongside egg and dart moulding, particularly around the opening, but the detailing was more delicate - fineness of carving being paramount - a true sign of the development of the lighter form and the typical sensibilities the designers wished to convey.

The range of images depicted, particularly on a single piece was more limited, but their realisation was exquisite. Themes tended towards the Arcadian; that is classic pastoral rather than martial or mythical, although bacchanalias were popular, if only for the image of the dancing girls.

Such ornamentations reflected the increased informality of the space they were enhancing, even if it seems rather restrained by today's standards. However, their understated elegance has given these fireplaces a timeless appeal, and they are easily translated into a modern home.

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