3 chimneys in one fireplace?

[TackleItAll]

Hi, I’ve been knocking out the old fireplace in my living room to replace a previously broken lintel and install a wood burner. In doing so I’ve noticed what looks like 3 chimneys in the fireplace. There’s the central flue which is what I’d expect but a 4” cast iron pipe to the left, looks to have been capped with cement somehow at some point further up and another opening that seems to have some corrugated metal liner and clay pipe in on the right. This looks to go up the side into the bedroom above where it’s been capped off within a little box with a vent on. I’m assuming these were capped off some time after march 9th 1969 as this was the date on the newspaper used to block up the cast iron pipe. Can anyone shed some light on what these once were used for?

It’s a 1950’s ex council house, I believe originally with a coal fireplace and at some point had a back boiler in before finally having a pre cast concrete fireplace put in.

Thank you!

 

[foxhole]

Probably old flue for gas fire and or back boiler later replaced with flexi gas flue or solid fuel fireplace.
What are you plans for fireplace?

 

[JohnD]

what was on the other side of that wall?

 

[ree]

OP,
You need a HETAS chimney sweep, to sweep any flue opening - camera down from the roof stack - and to smoke test anything that looks like a flue.
The vent in the stub on the side of the chimney breast needs investigating - its a possible source of dangerous fumes if any future householder goes back to a solid fuel fire?
And, as suggested, there's possibly a SS flex flue liner coming up from the fireplace?
Anyone who goes on the roof should provide you with pics of the chimney stack flaunching and any pots or terminals.
There might be two flues in the chimney breast that goes into the loft & up to the stack?

 

[Alastairreid]

They were hot air vents for the bedrooms from the coal fire days..my house was built 1952 and had them.
The little box in the bedroom was the hot air vent..there would have been another similar in the other bedroom.

 

[TackleItAll]

Thank for the replies. The cast iron pipe went into the kitchen in a void in the wall, presumably going up to the airing cupboard above. I’ll try dig out a photo from before I blocked it up.

The plan is to have a wood burner put in, I’ve had a couple of companies round that are happy with everything and say it’ll be fine. I’ve swept the chimney which was blocked and full of old nesting material. Once I’ve done some other bits I’ll have them come and put the woodburner on.

Speaking with a neighbour who has had the house from new in their family confirmed that one side was for providing heat upstairs and believed the cast iron pipe was a way of passing back boiler pipes through.