On Mar 18, 10:25*pm, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
Both the fireplaces in our house were blocked up long before we got here.

However OH has drilled a large hole ( dinner plate size) in the bedroom flu
/ fireplace because a bird got trapped and was flapping around in there.

So, to the question, when he drilled through he found *that the flue seemed
very small . It has been filled to its entirety with a six inch deep block.
Can someone throw any light on how a flu could be so small? Its a 1950's
build bungalow . In the country in Cornwall - so although its 1950's build
may be more akin *to 1920's/30's even.

What kind of fire could have been fitted in such a small opening?

Not that we are opening it up but we have one in the study which also is
blocked and another in the kitchen which we thought once housed a boiler and
OH had considered opening one of those two and putting in solid fuel central
heating or wood burners or something, but if they are constructed like the
bedroom one, he may be stumped ( he says).

Anyone know?

Open fire place chimneys shave a "throat", ie a restriction to
controll the draught of the chimney.
Higher up you will find the chimneu will be 8" square.
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/open..._fireplace.pdf