Fire in the hole! Welcome back to Period Dramas, a weekly column that alternates between rounding up historic homes on the market and answering questions we?ve always had about older structures.
It?s no secret that old houses are filled with quirks. We see those quirks as connections to the past, which can be enhanced?or sometimes completely uncovered?during a renovation.
Maybe those signs of history come in the form of a remnant of old wallpaper or a name carved into a wooden ceiling beam. But if you ask us, the people who are really lucky discover previously hidden architectural details, like a fireplace.
While it?s sad to think about why somebody would brick over a fireplace in the first place, it does make sense. Once fireplaces were no longer necessary to heat houses after steam, gas, and electric heating came into play, they became another place where heat could escape. In some cases, the fireplace flue gets sealed up and the firebox becomes purely decorative. In other cases, the whole thing gets bricked up and plastered over, erasing all trace of it. We?ve always been intrigued what it?s like?and what it takes?to uncover a blocked up fireplace. And a few days ago, while scrolling through our Instagram feed, we saw somebody live blogging the restoration of a cooking fireplace in their 16th-century (!) farmhouse in the English countryside. We took it as a sign that our questions needed to be answered.

The side of the house is cast with a dull inclement m...