A fireplace is often designed in a style that matches the house it is in. These days you can have a fire or no fire at all. The fireplace is designed to contain the fire, and then the decorative part is to make the fire a feature in the room.  The fire is normally for warmth however it can also be used for cooking.

There are many things you will need if you have or would like a fire place in your home. Whether it be an artificial fire or a real fire with a chimney, there are many accessories and details that you cannot go without.

These can be things such as Fireplace Fenders. Fireplace Fenders are used to add decor to the fireplace and to stop any spillage from the fire falling off the hearth and onto the floor. You can choose from a very extensive range of fire fenders from a basic plain base fender through fancy ornate fenders and even the larger club fenders for the larger fire place. They can be made to your measurements and can be adjustable in size or fixed in size and come in a range of finish choices - brass fenders, black fenders, antique brass fenders, chrome fenders, or polished steel fenders.

There are also things such as fire guards and nursery guards, these are particularly needed for families with small children to prevent the child burning themselves. Should there not be a fireguard or fire screen that fits your requirements then it is quite possible that you will be order a made to measure fireguard or fire screen that will fit perfectly in your fire with the perfect dimensions. Although ideally if there are babies or small children it is recommended that you have a nursery fireguard designed to stop children getting too close to the fireplace. Also a lot of people purchase fireguards or fire screens to stop cats going up the chimney!

There are also things available such as a coal hod. A coal hod is a container for coal. It is very similarly to a coal bucket but is normally a vertical cylinder with a slanted opening at the top to let you pour the coal onto the fire without the coal spilling onto the carpet or floor. Once you've got your coal in, the coal has to have somewhere to go once it has been burnt so an ash pan is needed.  Ash pans are holders that fit beneath a fire grate to collect ashes to make it easier to remove and clean, which makes everyone happy.

If you have a real fire of which you use coal or logs to ignite the fire we recommend that you have your chimney swept at least once a year if using your fire occasionally or twice if using it on a regular basis. It is possible to undertake this task yourself using a sweeps brush head and rods. In between sweepings we recommend the use of our chimney cleaner which helps reduce tar deposits.

Should your chimney develop cracks or other damage you could repair it with fire cement. Other items you can use to maintain it include stove ropes, black lead polish, coal paint, grate paint, stove paint and spare coals for gas fires.