Three items I found at the reclamation yard (Fireplace - Part 2)

The restoration of the fireplace continues and today I went hunting at a reclamation yard for some genuine bits of history with which to build my sitting room centre-piece.
The reclamation yard of choice was Authentic Reclamation near Tunbridge Wells in Kent: website here.

Rumaging around at the yard and seeing all the beautiful orginal doors, windows, fireplaces, sinks, baths, beams, tiles and bricks was fascinating. I came out absolutely filthy.
A couple of tips:
- Do your measurements beforehand and take a tape measure with you
- Wear sensible shoes and be careful as reclamation yards can be dangerous.

I wanted worn bricks for the inside of the fireplace, I wanted them to look as if they had always been there, and I found 140 mixed stock bricks at about £1 each at the yard. There were too many to bring home today so they are arriving on a pallet later this week.

In a box I found a selection of beautiful tiles. The say they were made in Yorkshire and were apparently reclaimed from a church floor. They were about £12 each so quite pricey, but really worth it I hope you agree. These tiles will make up the hearth.
Plain terracota tiles will make a border (these were about £2.50 each).

The final find, which is really exciting, is a cast iron fire basket, slightly rusted, but exactly the right size for the space. I bought this for £100. As I can't have a real fire this will be filled with logs but never lit, and surrounded by candles. I have been researching and found online that cast iron can be cleaned up using white vinegar which I'll be trying later in the week, I am excited to see it looking like new again!

27th May 2015