Flemish bonds .?..heck I threw mine out with the Confederate......... I guess none of us pinheads lived across the pond long enough to warm ourselves by a fire Having spent a few winters in Scotland and Brittany I got to study fire hearths up close an personal; so much so that when I restored my creole cottage here on the edge of the Delta ( 4 fireplaces ) I did two hearths in Herringbone with reclaimed Roman brick. I must say the math was interesting putting them in ;but like tile the cuts are at the return walls. For those of us who like to stare into fire there is a big difference as to what your back hearth wall does for you However if you grew up with the tv replacing the fire I completely understand. PY -- To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to: <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>