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Do you have a blowtorch?
From your picture the bricks look like proper fire bricks,
(albeit not refractory bricks).
The deposits may be soot that accumulated because the fire was never big or fierce enough to burn it off. On the assumption the chimney is clear, and you have a blow torch
(and a face mask), I would try burning the soot marks off.
mespilus
Had an open fire place since forever. Just in the process of getting quotes for a log burner.
Think the answer to this is no or very difficult, but is there a way to get all the soot off the bricks at the back of the fireplace? Quick Google seems to suggest some kind of vinegar mix or brick acid. Has anyone done similar successfully? Cheers