I've recently bought the book "Merchant Palaces", which is a collection of photographs by Bedford Lemere of some of the grand houses built in Liverpool & Wirral by some of the great industrialists of the 19th. century.
This fireplace was at Dawpool, Thurstaston, home of T.H.Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line (Titanic). When the house was demolished in 1927, this massive fireplace was removed & used as the entrance of the Kingsland dance hall in Borough Rd. I went there yesterday & the marble pillars are still there.

Total extravagance with inglenook i think its called and the bagged Tiger on the floor, great picture though Chris.

Yes, Bert; first time I've seen an inglenook with windows in the back. The book describes it as the dining room fireplace; wonder if they had an even bigger one in the sitting room? The largest room at Dawpool was the picture gallery.

@ summer01; the book has a total of 50 pictures; great value at £10 & you may find it cheaper on Amazon.

It would take a few bags of nutty slack to keep THAT fire going !!

That's one hell of a fireplace, but can't help thinking it would have been money better spent on lifeboats !

See your point, not forgetting they had the lifeboats, just didn't want to spoil the look of the ship.

Dawpool hall and what was inscribed above the fireplace

some good pics at this site http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/story/slide.aspx?storyUid=86&slideNo=34

Dawpool and largest room

All those flat screen televisions on the wall, must have had loads of money

They are just to help warm the room up when the coal man hasn't been !!

Fireplace up for sale

http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/wirral-...nd-restaurant-birkenhead-80491-30188617/

Bad reporting. White Star never built the Titanic. Harland and Wolf did! Can't help thinking about all the poor sods living in abject poverty while these two had all that. Mr Cameron will have us back to those "good old days" if we are not careful.

The WirralNews article says that this and another one were sold in 1927, with the other one going to Portmeirion. Any idea what it looked like?
I went to Portmeirion a few years ago, and there are plenty of columns and arches that it could be. I took plenty of photographs, so I might have a piccy of it in its present home - if only I knew what it looked like, or whereabouts they used it.

From their website - Portmeirion
Portmeirion was built in two stages: from 1925 to 1939 the site was ‘pegged-out’ and its most distinctive buildings were erected. From 1954-76 he filled in the details. The second period was typically classical or Palladian in style in contrast to the Arts and Crafts style of his earlier work. Several buildings were salvaged from demolition sites, giving rise to Clough’s description of the place as “a home for fallen buildings”.

Its in The Pantheon, main foyer I believe.