Recently I swept and repaired a small Franco-Belge stove for a customer in Thaxted. It is a common problem with wood-burning stoves that the door glass can break or crack from use. The usual causes for this are that the door is closed to heavily,

I saw these fantastic thatched hares running across the ridge of a cottage in Ashden (opposite the Rose & Crown pub) the other day. I think these are amazing thatched sculptures, perhaps the best I have seen; they are so animated and alive, giving a

I recently swept this large Severn Stove in a house in Radwinter. They are a rather handsome, elegant if not a little old fashioned type of stove, but are well suited for large inglenook chimney places appertaining to large room spaces. Attractive features of the

Here is another family of thatched animals that I spotted in Stoke by Clare when I was out working the other day. I thought that this family grouping looks rather cute, but I should think that there are many country people who view foxes as

I recently had to condemn a stove in a customer’s property near Arkesden. Put simply this process formally advises the customer not to use an appliance because it is dangerous and indicates that remedial work should be undertaken to correct the issues before it is

I saw this family of ducks on a Thatched Property in Cornish Hall End where I swept the chimney and completed a CCTV examination for insurance purposes. Again this blows a hole in my theory that that thatched animals are mostly associated with hunting and

In the past I have repaired and swept two Franco-Belge Stoves for two different customers; one of the stoves was a Merville, whilst the other was a Montfort. The issue with these stoves is that the grate expands with heating and then cannot be removed

Here is a view of one of my brushes out the top of a chimney at a farm house close to Sturmer. Also in view is my van on the customers drive way. . The brush is actually not so much of a brush as

I noticed this Scottish Terrier on a thatched roof in Great Sampford on the road towards Little Sampford. In some ways this thatched animal does support my theory that thatched animals are mostly associated with hunting and shooting, but in a more tenuous way. Historically,

I recently swept a rather unusual Continental Stove at a house in Little Sampford. The customer told me that she had bought the stove second hand in France many years ago now. Apparently its previous home in France had been a rather fancy chateau! who