Restoring old Chimney Advice

[XXXXX]

Hello folks, name's Adam.

First post but I've read here a lot--I have a barrel stove in the detached garage. Works very well and I enjoy the process of heating with wood

This post is about my home, we believe it was built around 1915ish.

There's a beautiful fireplace in the living that we believe used to burn coal. It's empty now and the throat/damper appears to be blocked off with bricks and mortar.

There is a modern vent at the top of the chimney

We'd like to burn wood or coal in this fireplace for ambiance and some heat. We have radiant heat already so the fireplace wouldn't be a primary heat source.

My questions are these:

Is this a coal or a wood fireplace?

Are we able to burn either in it again?

Before I break the bricks open, what do you expect I'll find in the flue?

Fireplace:



First view looking up the fireplace:




Second view looking up the fireplace.



Chimney:

 

[Destructor]

The firebox bricks look like they are the same as the face bricks which look to be a type of tapestry brick. They won't hold up to high heat. The inner hearth also looks like its the same quarry tile as the front hearth. They should also be firebrick. The fireplace looks like it has never been used. I'm wondering if the whole fireplace was remodeled at one time and made non fuctional. I don't see any scorch marks on the brick or joints. Are the bricks the same as what are used for the chimney? It's possible the fireplace was never used. The flue most likely won't be lined. It looks too deep to be a coal burner. Does the vent go anywhere or is it just to vent the unused chimney. You could probably drop a camera down from the top and see how it was blocked off. It looks like the damper may have rusted out. The condition of the smoke chamber and flue needs to be deturmined.