From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Mantel \Man"tel\, noun [The same word as mantle a garment; cf. F. manteau de chemin['e]e. See {Mantle}.] (Arch.) The finish around a fireplace, covering the chimney-breast in front and sometimes on both sides; especially, a shelf above the fireplace, and its supports. The shelf is called also a {mantelpiece} or {mantlepiece}. [Written also {mantle}.]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: shelf that projects from wall above fireplace; "in England they call a mantel a chimneypiece" [syn: {mantelpiece}, {mantle}, {mantlepiece}, {chimneypiece}]
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