Dickensian fireplace

Our fireplace is beginning to look like a Dickensian ruin.  It had been smoking and smoking and the Dickensian chimney sweep with an old Hampshire accent suggested putting the grate up on bricks and it does seem to have worked.  My only worry is it puts the flames six inches nearer the thatch but the chimney is so big we’re told it’ll be fine.  I quite like the old ruin look but wonder how our predecessors in the house coped. Also it was fine last year…

London was sunny and bright, I went up and had hair done (not successfully - will get it re done) and then into the office for a zoom on our Middle Eastern set show which went really well. Thank goodness.  

Home relatively early looking forward to the weekend!