The Fireplace and Mantelpiece
The hearth was the master of the room, and its rank was the rank of the room.
About The Fireplace and Mantelpiece
The fireplace and mantelpiece are the centrepiece of the Fireplace Room: an electric fireplace in walnut with a marble-effect finish, W1150 × H1019 mm. In the European manor houses of the 18th and 19th centuries the hearth was the master of the room, and the rank of the mantelpiece spoke for the rank of the room itself.
In the Fireplace Room, the mantelpiece is the first thing to catch the eye
At the heart of the Fireplace Room are the electric flames and the mantelpiece that frames them. The deep tone of the walnut and the marble-effect surface gather the gold damask of the walls, the wine-red velvet sofa and the colours of the oil painting, drawing every gaze in the room to a single point.
Your butler will not hurry you to stand directly before the fire. You are first invited to take in the whole room from the entrance, and only then to draw gradually closer. From a distance you see how the fireplace and the sofa relate to one another; up close, the mantel shelf and the furnishings around it come into view. Changing the distance is what conveys the hearth's role as the master of the room.
As butlers of Queen's Butler, a general incorporated association, we care equally for the quietness of those who wish to gaze at the flames and the curiosity of those who wish to examine the furnishings closely. For one guest we prepare a restful chair; for two or more, an arrangement that invites conversation; and even with up to six guests we ensure that sightlines do not cross too closely.
Knowing the dimensions and materials reveals how the mantelpiece is composed
| Name | Mantelpiece and fireplace |
|---|---|
| Materials | Walnut with a marble-effect finish |
| Dimensions | W1150 × H1019 mm |
| Flames | Electric |
| On the mantel shelf | A mantel clock, a pair of candlesticks and a gilt-framed mirror |
| On the wall | An oil painting and gold damask |
In the European manors of the 18th and 19th centuries, the hearth declared the rank of the room
The historical role of the fireplace was not merely to warm the room; it fixed where people gathered and which way the room faced. In the European manor houses of the 18th and 19th centuries the hearth was the master of the room, and the rank of the mantelpiece was taken as the rank of the room. It was the centre at which guests were received, chairs were drawn up and conversation began.
A mantelpiece with a marble shelf was the classic arrangement in aristocratic residences from the French Rococo through the reign of Napoleon III. The Manor's fireplace, in walnut with a marble-effect finish, brings that historical appearance into the Fireplace Room. At Queen's Butler you may learn its origins before turning to the modern electric flames.
Knowing the meaning of an old style does not oblige you to learn a set manner of appreciation. Simply take in the whole room from its centre, then let your eye travel to the mantel shelf, the mirror, the candlesticks and the clock. Your butler will not press on with explanations, but will guard the pauses in which you discover each piece for yourself.
See the Fireplace Room
Around the fireplace, four furnishings compose the view above, below and to either side
| Position | Furnishing | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Centre | The electric fireplace and mantelpiece | The flames, the colour of the walnut and the marble-effect surface become the focus of the eye |
| Mantel shelf | The mantel clock and a pair of candlesticks | The balance between centre and sides forms the front face of the mantelpiece |
| Above | The gilt-framed mirror | The golden frame links the wall to the mantel shelf |
| Wall | The oil painting and gold damask | The colours of the painting and the golden pattern lend the room its depth |
Rather than studying a single piece up close, first confirm the arrangement as a whole and then move to the details; you will see why the mantelpiece is the centre of the room.
In the Fireplace Room we guide you in five steps, from the whole to the details
Take in the whole room from the entrance
We slow our steps at the point where the fireplace, the sofa and the oil painting on the wall fall within a single view.
Look at the flames and the mantelpiece
You view the electric flames and the outline of the walnut and marble-effect mantel.
Move your gaze to the mantel shelf
We introduce the arrangement of the mantel clock, the pair of candlesticks and the gilt-framed mirror.
Look at the oil painting on the wall
From a little distance, we confirm how the painting sits on the centre line of the fireplace.
Gaze from the sofa
Seated on the wine-red velvet sofa, you view the flames directly from the front.
The oil painting and the gilt-framed mirror layer time above the flames
To look above the fireplace is to follow not only the movement of the flames but the vertical composition that rises from the mantel shelf to the wall. On the shelf stand the mantel clock and a pair of candlesticks; above hangs the gilt-framed mirror; on the wall, the oil painting. The eye rises naturally from the low flames to the painting set high above.
The gold of the mirror and the gold damask create a continuity of colour around the fireplace. The oil painting is no flat decoration: through its brushwork and layered colour it adds another time to the wall.
Should you wish to keep a photograph, a composition that fills the frame with the flames and one that takes in the oil painting from top to bottom leave quite different impressions. With up to six guests we separate those being photographed from those waiting, and arrange a path that keeps the mantelpiece and its furnishings untouched.
What you may enjoy in the Fireplace Room
- You may view the electric flames from the sofa or the chairs
- You may examine the W1150 × H1019 mm mantelpiece up close
- We introduce the mantel clock, the pair of candlesticks and the gilt-framed mirror
- You may view the oil painting and the gold damask on the wall together
- In keeping with your booking, you may discuss commemorative photographs or a screening
What we ask of you
- We kindly ask you to refrain from touching the pieces on the mantelpiece yourself
- We do not serve meals, though you are welcome to bring your own food and drink
- The Manor is never hired out unattended; a butler is always at your side
Before the fire you may choose quiet, conversation or the screen
Open a book before the flames
A way of spending time gazing at the fire from the wine-red sofa or a chair, and enjoying a book. Each time you lift your eyes from the page, the clock, the candlesticks and the oil painting return to view.
Read more
Talk around the fireplace
An arrangement centred on the hearth lets you exchange words not only face to face, but while gazing at the same flames.
Read more
Dim the lights and watch a film
The Fireplace Room has a 120-inch theatre. Before the film begins and after it ends, the view of the flames and the mantelpiece returns.
Read moreYour butler watches not the brightness of the flames, but the expressions of those in the room
What a butler observes in the Fireplace Room is not merely the electric flames, but whether you are seated at ease and able to turn your mind to conversation or reading. To those who ask, we relate the origins of the furnishings; to those who wish for quiet, we hold our words.
The fireplace at Queen's Butler exists not simply to recreate a manor of the past. Inheriting the role of the 18th- and 19th-century hearth as a place where people gathered, it is the centre that links reading, conversation, film and photography in a modern Manor.
If this is your first visit, do not dwell on the correct way to sit; simply take a seat where the flames are in view. Your butler will arrange the chair and your belongings. Turning your eye in turn to the mantelpiece, the clock, the candlesticks, the mirror and the oil painting, you will see how a single room is built from many furnishings.
QIs the fire real?
The Manor's fireplace is electric. You may enjoy the appearance of the flames together with the walnut and marble-effect mantelpiece.
QHow large is the mantelpiece?
It measures W1150 × H1019 mm. We suggest viewing the whole from a little distance before turning to the pieces on the mantel shelf.
QWhat stands above the fireplace?
A mantel clock, a pair of candlesticks and a gilt-framed mirror. We present them as a single composition together with the oil painting on the wall.
QMay I see the oil painting too?
Yes, you may view the oil painting on the wall above the fireplace. After studying its colours up close, do also enjoy its balance with the fireplace from the sofa.
QMay I take photographs?
In keeping with your booking, we will guide you in commemorative photographs. A composition of the flames alone and one that includes the oil painting leave quite different impressions.
QHow many guests can gather around the fire?
The Manor welcomes up to six guests. Using the sofa and chairs, your butler will arrange positions so that everyone can see the flames.
You may also wish to read
Your butler will show you to a seat before the fire.
Tell us whether you would like to read, talk, watch a film or take photographs. We will prepare a setting where the flames and the furnishings are in view.