For as long as man has been able to create fire, there have been fireplaces. So it should come as no surprise that if South Africa is the cradle of mankind, it is here some of the best fireplaces in the world are found. This is there history…

From fire pit to modern marvel

Ancient man discovered the use of fire many thousands of years ago, and with this discovery came the building of fire pits in the ground. This was not only because it was practical, but it also gave man a modicum of control over what is still one of the most destructive elements on earth – fire!

These fire pits were often built in the centre of huts or ancient dwellings directly beneath smoke holes in the roof. But this was not a foolproof design by any stretch of the imagination and often the smoke would be blown back into the room or hut. To fix this problem the chimney was invented and this helped to vent the vast majority of the smoke from the fire outside of the building.

In 1678 Prince Rupert, the nephew of Charles the First had the idea to raise the grates of the fireplaces found on his estate to improve the airflow to the fire and upgrade the fireplace venting system. This saw a vast improvement to the building of fireplaces that was further built upon by none other than Benjamin Franklin. Franklin developed a new convection chamber for fireplaces that greatly improved the efficiency of fireplaces as well as wood stoves. He also improved fireplace airflow by pulling air from the basement and by venting it out of a longer area (a larger chimney) at the top.

The next major development came a few years after the improvements made to fireplaces by Benjamin Franklin and were made by a certain Count Rumford. He designed a fireplace with a tall, shallow firebox that further improved the drawing the smoke up and out of the building. This design also helped to improve the amount of radiant heat projected into the room and is now considered the foundation of modern fireplace designs.

Fireplace traditions that made history

One the most famous traditions that have evolved over the years involve Father Christmas (Santa Claus) and his descent down the chimney to bring well behaved girls and boys presents each year to celebrate the birth of Christ.

In the United States of America during the Great Depression President Franklin Delano Roosevelt held hi "fireside chats" that consisted of weekly radio addresses to the American people. He used this family gathering time to state his views and to help carry his people through one of the toughest times in American history, The Great Depression.