Andy Dingley wrote:
Friends are looking at buying a house. Nice old 1890ish terrace, two
floors and a full-size cellar.

Unfortunately some idiot has previously removed the chimney breast from
the cellar level, leaving the chimney above unsupported! They've
removed the hearth slab and mantel, so the weight isn't too bad, and

But a hellova weight of bricks above!

they've filled the gap with matching floorboards (stripped floors).
However there's a 4' x 1' chimney breast hanging there with nowt
beneath. If you look up from below, you can see right up the flue and
practically out of the top.

Any suggestions on fixes?

I'm sure someone will tell us what the required mechanism is, but all
I've got holding up my chimney in similar circumstances is a couple of
flat steel strips inserted horizontally into the remaining brickwork.
If the one you're looking at is the same they may simply be hidden by
the floorboards.

Chris