IMPROVEMENTS IN FIRE-PLACES. OR HEATING APPARATUS."
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Hall Nicoll, of Dundee, in the County of
Forfar, North Britain, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FIRE-PLACES. OR HEATING APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION: left by the said George Hall Nicoll at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his: Petition, on the 13th
December 1855.
I, GEORGE HALL NICOLL, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain,
Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN FIREPLACES OR HEATING APPARATUS" to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to the arrangement of domestic and' other fire-places,
grates, or heating apparatus, in such manner as to secure the economy and
heating power of a good stove, combined with the elegant and cheerful external
appearance of an open fire grate. In carrying out this Invention for the pur-
poses of private dwellings, the front plate of the fire-place or grate, ornamented
in any required manner, is disposed in position in the wall of the apartment to
be warmed in such manner as to have its entire surface flush with the line of
the wall. To this flush plate the grate bars or cage portion enclosing the fuel
is.attached in the usual manner, projecting out into, the room to the extent
required. To the face of the main front plate above the fire holder there is
attached an ornamental canopy piéce, completely embracing the gaseous cur-

page_text: rent passing off from the burning fuel. This canopy receives and conducts the
heated air and gases, and directs this gaseous. current off through an aperture
in the front plate, covered by the canopy. This aperture is connected with a
pipe or thoroughfare passing into the chimney or wall flue. To the back of
the main front plate there is cast or attached a box edge frame, enclosing
nearly the whole of the plate surface on the inner side; this box edge having
a loose flat plate to shut it up into a closed chamber, the loose plate
covering up the front of the recess in the wall into which the grate is placed.
Inside this box frame, on the inner face of the main plate, there are cast or
attached a series of horizontal shelves or plates, so disposed with reference to
each other that each storey of them breakes bond with its neighbour. At the
bottom part of the main front plate there are a series of apertures, so arranged
as to be invisible in the ornamental work of the plate. These apertures allow
cold air from the room to rush in and pass up the chamber at the back of the
front plate, the air current being compelled to pursue a zig-zag direction in
reaching the top of the space or division, at which part there are also apertures
in the top of the front plate, permitting warm air to. flow through into the
room. Now, as the entire surface of the main front plate is highly heated by
the action of the fire, it necessarily imparts considerable heat to the air current
passing along the zig-zag thoroughfare of the heating chamber behind; and
this air then rushes out at the upper openings in the front plate, and enters
the room to warm it, whilst a constant current of cool air enters the heating
chamber by the bottom apertures. The form of the heating chamber may of
course be modified in various ways.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Hall Nicoll in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
12th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
HALL NICOLL, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Hall Nicoll, Her special license that I, the said George Hall
Nicoll, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said

page_text: George Hall Nicoll, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at 'any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully. might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FIRE-PLACES OR HEATING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said George Hall Nicoll, by an instrument in writing under my. hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Hall Nicoll, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what. manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the arrangement of domestic and other fire-
places, grates, or heating apparatus, in such manner as to secure the economy
and heating power of a good stove combined with the elegant and cheerful
external appearance of an open fire grate. In carrying out this Invention for
the purposes of private dwellings, the front plate of the fire-place or grate,
ornamented in any required manner, is disposed in position in the wall of the
apartment to be warmed in such manner as to have its entire surface flush
with the line of the wall. To this flush plate the grate bars or cage portion
inclosing the fuel is attached in the usual manner, projecting out into the
room to the extent required. To the face of the main front plate above the fire.
holder there is attached an ornamental canopy piece, completely embracing:
the gaseous current passing off from the burning fuel. This canopy receives.
and conducts the heated air and gases, and directs this gaseous current off
through an aperture in the front plate, covered by the canopy. This aperture-
is connected with a pipe or thoroughfare passing into the chimney or wall flue.
To the back of the main front plate there is cast or attached a box edge frame,
enclosing nearly the whole of the plate surface on the inner side; this box
edge having a loose flat plate to shut it up into a closed chamber, the loose.
plate covering up the front of the recess in the wall into which the grate is
placed. Inside this box frame, on the inner face of the main plate, there are:
cast or attached a series of horizontal shelves or plates, so disposed with refer-
ence to each other that each storey of them breaks bond with its neighbour. At
the bottom part of the main front plate there are a series of apertures, so.

page_text: .arranged as to be invisible in the ornamental work of the plate. These aper-
tures allow cold air from the room to rush in and pass-up the chamber. at the
back of the front plate, the air current being compelley to pursue a zig-zag
direction in reaching the top of the space or division, at which part there are
also apertures in the top of the front plate, permitting warm air to flow
through into the room. Now, as the entire surface of the main front plate is
highly heated by the action of the fire, it necessarily imparts considerable
heat to the air current, passing along the zig-zag thoroughfare of the heating
chamber behind, and this air then rushes out at the upper openings in the
front plate, and enters the room to warm it, whilst a constant current of
cool air enters the heating chamber by the bottom apertures. The form of
the heating chamber may of course be modified in various ways.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I have
hereunto appended, and shall now proceed to describe, a Sheet of explanatory
Drawings, the Figures on which are different views of a domestic grate or
fire-place, as arranged and constructed according to my said Invention.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings is a front elevation of the grate; Figure
2 is a vertical section; and Figure 3 is a back elevation, with the back plate
for closing the air chamber removed. In this fire-place the grate or cage A for
the fuel, instead of being arranged in a recess formed in the front plate B, as
is ordinarily done, is made to project from this front plate B, which is made
flush, or nearly so, over its entire surface; or instead of the front plate being
cast entirely flush, it, may be formed, as represented in the Drawings, with a
recess at the back of the grate to receive a slab or slabs C of burnt fire clay.
Above the grate is a curved canopy or hood D, which collects the smoke from
the fire and guides it to an opening E, concealed by itself. This opening E
communicates with the chimney flue, and a damper F is provided to regulate
the draft through it. At the back of the plate B, and cast upon or attached
to it are a number of horizontal plates or shelves G, H, enclosed in a casing
J, and covered by a back plate J. The shelves G, H, are arranged. so that a
current of air entering at the bottom of the casing will be compelled to pro-
ceed towards the top by a zig-zag or tortuous course; the plates & stretching
across the central portions, but being open at the sides, whilst the plates H are
closed at the sides and open at the centre. The air current may, however, be
made to follow a tortuous path by various arrangements of the division plates.
The air is admitted into the casing at the bottom either through a pipe K,
communicating with the external atmosphere, or by openings in the front.plate
B, as at L; it being drawn off from the room in the latter case. Both the air
entrances K and L are provided with suitable valves M for regulating the

page_text: ingress of the air through them. The air in passing up the tortuous passages
formed in the casing behind the plate B, is heated by the fire-clay slab C, or
by the portion of the plate B, which receives heat from the fire. The air thus
heated finds its way into the room by apertures in the plate B, above and
round the hood or canopy D, as indicated by the arrow at N. These aper-
tures may be arranged in any convenient manner, and may be, to a great
extent, concealed by ornamental work adapted to the plate B externally, as
shown in the Drawings. Apertures similarly concealed by external ornamental
work or devices may also be arranged at the lower part of the plate B for the
ingress of the air; and the valvular mechanism for regulating the air current
may be adapted either to the ingress or to the egress apertures.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general arrangement and construction of domestic fire-places or
grates, as herein-before described.
Second, the system or mode of constructing domestic fire-places or grates, so
that the cage or grate for the fuel projects from a flush or nearly flush surface,
the smoke passing off beneath a hood or canopy above such grate, and through
a passage opening beneath the hood or canopy, as herein-before described.
Third, the system or mode of constructing domestic fire-places or grates,
with the cage or grate for the fuel projecting from a flush or nearly flush
surface, and with air passages behind the grate and adjacent to the parts.
heated by the fire, for the purpose of heating air wherewith to supply the
room, the air entering the passages below either from the room or from the
external atmosphere, and issuing into the room in a heated state from
the upper part of the fire-place, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Hall Nicoll, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of June, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-six.
GEORGE HALL NICOLL
LL. (L.S.)