Many design standards of today were set by us, but while most showrooms retail a standard product, we continue to build to order to offer unmatched flexibility and quality.

History of Bertram Bennett Fireplaces, Est. 1946
(Based upon the reminiscences of Derek Bennett)

Bertram Bennett was born twelve months into the Great War, and named after the luckiest bloke the family knew.
After a short sequence of unsuitable jobs, Bertram finally found his niche on building sites across the city of Birmingham. By chance, a local site stamped Bertram’s card with their London address, this convinced his next site that he was prepared to travel with his skills.
Work on a Welsh farmhouse ensued, culminating in Bertram being called upon to build a briquette fireplace as a finishing touch. This had two influences on Bertram’s life, one an enduring love of the open Welsh scenery and the other, the discovery of his flair and technique in creating briquette fireplaces.

World War Two intervened, but after demob he speculatively built a fireplace in the only materials available to him in the shortages.
A brick effect fireplace modestly constructed in coloured concrete was advertised, to raise a little cash.
An instant sale and wide interest, convinced Bertie to increase his aspirations.

Bertie was able to liberate peoples’ long suppressed want for luxury items.

Premises on Bloomsbury Street, that had escaped severe bomb damage were acquired and dressed up with antiques from the junk shop down the road. Briquette fireplaces were made for display and Bertram Bennett Fireplaces was open for business.

Tiled fireplaces were still the flavour of the day in 1947 so to satisfy demand and feed his new born son, he put his hand to these, but his passion remained briquette. In 1949 he took the bold step of taking a stand at Bingley Hall, dedicated to briquette fireplaces.
Staff were now required and young Jim was the first trainee.
The 1950’s saw urban renewal programmes, Bertram Bennetts moved round the corner to Bullock Street, as bulldozers moved across Bloomsbury Street.

Stone fireplaces were followed by his self build kits, in each case anticipating the trends to come. More staff were employed, both skilled stone masons and trainees. However the 1960’s brought obstacles to overcome, Bertram led the way in design and innovation but others were now producing cheap copies.

Quality paid off until the advent of smokeless zones and central heating…… suddenly the fireplace was redundant.

Sixteen staff were now employed, including a young lad by the name of Paul. The fall in demand for fireplaces hit hard and the workforce shrank to three. Paul Smith had been taken on, pointed in our direction by a careers master unheeding his student’s decision to become a plumber, now Paul, Jim and Bertie were the work force. Then Jim left to work with his family.

By the 1970’s the loss of a focal point in many rooms was realised and the fireplace again became of importance. In 1971 Derek’s talents were called upon to help his father and Paul cope with the increased work load.

Briquettes were now an extinct commodity, due to the near demise of the trade in the 1960’s. Bereft of alternatives, hand made concrete briquettes were a stop gap as demand again increased. Builders, realising this revitalised market were now cashing in on the trend, using the same cheap oversize bricks left over from the last house extension. The traditional detailing that briquettes allowed was becoming a forgotten skill.
Relief came in the form of a knock at the door, a London salesman, ‘Henry’ was about to acquire the order of a lifetime. A small sample of briquettes reassured Bertram of the quality for which he had been searching. An instant order for 6,000 briquettes was placed, followed by another of equally staggering proportions.
We bought more bricks in three weeks than they had sold in years – the manager of the brick works nearly fainted!

Professional installation again came to the fore and in the late 1970’s, Ray Frost joined the team and quickly established his reputation both with the company and its customers, as a polite, cheerful and highly skilled fireplace installer.
New John Street became our home in April 2001.

Bertram Bennett passed away shortly before the millennium, but has left a legacy that continues in his name, with a reputation for beautifully crafted fireplaces.

The Exhibitions 1950-1973.

Legend has it that on the site of the Birmingham convention centre there was once a Victorian Hall.
Those that dared to enter told of giant mythical hands, Egyptian style temptresses converted to stone, Parisian landmarks and a man with one glass eye...

Of all the people that entered Bingley Exhibition Hall during home related shows, few got out - at least not without first being both entertained by the latest Bertram Bennett showpiece fireplace and adding to a customer base that spread across Britain.

Bertram was a showman with a penchant for the innovative.
He wanted to showcase the skill and flair of his stonemasons and create a talking point.
Exhibiting also in London, at Olympia, his influences were widely imitated, setting standards for dressed and carved stone fireplaces - even to this day.
These are but a few.

Prometheus was an experiment in reconstructed stone, ‘inspired by a dream’ where hands descended from the sky to Bertram.
True or not, one could look Bertram in the eye and be convinced - (Of course it probably was his glass one !)

Lights were now being incorporated by Bertram in dressed stone fireplaces behind specially commissioned glass ‘stones,’ new fangled music systems were built in, even fish tanks! - However, as the exhibition model pointed out, the “fishy wishies” didn’t seem right - actually the heavily illuminated tank proved to be an unfortunate first, as he accidentally pioneered the electric Kettle.

If getting a tank in your fireplace wasn’t enough one could now get tanked up by your fireplace...
If sitting in front of the fire gave you a thirst, then one could put the fire in your belly too in one swift motion.
The electric fire would lift up, on a sash window style counterbalance, revealing your favourite tipples!
This sixties exhibition piece was bought straight off the stand.
Bertram was less than impressed to find her interior designers had tinted the stone purple to match the decor.

When Mr Bennett travelled abroad he wanted a souvenir.
The Eiffel tower, with a little artistic licence and hard work from Paul Smith, was brought to Bingley Hall in the early 1970’s.
Made into transportable sections for display it was by all accounts lighter than the original - but only just.
It was later sold, making Mr Bennett one of the few people to legitimately sell the Eiffel Tower.

If that wasn’t a proper Eiffel then this was...

Sixties glamour incorporated in a fireplace, Angela, was immortalised in carved Derbyshire stone in about 1966.
She made at least one national paper and eventually resided in our Bullock street showrooms, sadly space limitations forced her out onto the street.
Despite sixteen years on grass and weed, a broken outcast, (in our yard), she’s now back...

- Not all there, but she is a 60’s ‘rock’ star after all !