A hearth niche is a small recess beside the fire opening or in the chimney breast, once used to keep small household items: matches, sulphur sticks, a pipe, tobacco or a tinderbox. The Dutch term is mazier. It is a modest but characteristic detail of old houses and farmhouses, where the hearth was the centre of the household.
Why beside the fire?
The position was no accident. Next to the fire it was dry and warm — and dryness was exactly what matches, sulphur and tobacco needed in a house that was otherwise often damp. It was practical too: whatever you need at the fire is within reach.
There was a constructional reason as well. Masonry around a fireplace is thick and solid, so a shallow recess costs nothing in strength and saves bricks.
Recognising and keeping one
- Size. Usually no more than a shallow opening, in the order of 200 to 400 mm wide and a few hundred millimetres high, with a brick head over it
- Position. Beside the fire opening, in the cheek of the fireplace, or in the breast above it
- During alterations. If you find a blocked-up recess beside an old fireplace, leave it open rather than plastering over it — it is one of the few surviving traces of how the house was actually lived in
- Mind the flue. Never deepen or cut a new recess into a chimney cheek without knowing where the flue runs. A weakened or broken flue means smoke problems and a fire risk
- Modern version. The idea returns in contemporary fireplace walls as a formed recess, usually for concealed lighting or log storage
Related terms
- Niche
- Fireplace
- Chimney
- Open fire
- Chimney breast
- Blind niche
- Chimney niche
Want to learn more about construction terms? Visit our knowledge base at fredsdiyplans.com.