As you imply, you’re still going to need to ventilate the chimney one way or another.

The least obtrusive way of doing it would be to install a grille in the plasterboard you use to cover the chimney aperture – but then of course you’re likely to get dust, grit and who knows what else falling onto your valuable electronics. So that’s out.

So It seems to me that you’re going to have to chop out a brick from the chimney somewhere and cover the aperture with a grille (either a straightforward face-mounted one, or one that’s designed to be plastered in).

Where you do that is of course up to you and your specific circumstances. The best place to conceal it might be on the wall facing into the middle of the room, where the flat screen TV will hide it – which will also help keep the screen cooler, so there’s an extra benefit. Otherwise, I’d suggest somewhere on the side wall of the chimney where it’s less likely to be seen.

Thanks for all this information.

Ian.

You don’t mention whether the boarded loft is being used for storage or living. If it isn’t, then the easiest solution would be to simply lay blanket insulation over the top of the boards – remembering, of course, to leave a space near the eaves for air to circulate. However, assuming that the loft space is being used for storage, then blanket insulation is obviously not a viable answer.

There’s no reason why boards in your loft should prevent you having either loose-fill or blown-fibre insulation – indeed, both of those types of insulation would lend themselves to boards as a means of keeping the insulation from blowing about. But if the boards in your loft are proper floorboards rather than, say, MDF sheets – and I’d expect that, it being a Victorian house, they’re the real McCoy – then you’re probably looking at blown-fibre insulation and a contractor rather than trying to lift the boards and put in loose-fill insulation yourself.

As for whether you can obtain a grant, you’ll need to check with your local authority – but I’d be very surprised if you’re not eligible for some kind of assistance.