As I have said a number of times previously in my blog, I do like a contemporary cylindrical stove in the right setting. This is a Mendip Somerton 7Kw Wood-Burning Stove that I recently Swept at an address in Debden Green. As I say, I think a contemporary cylindrical stove is great particularly if it is in the right setting, which is usually in a large room in my view. This particular example is located in a large sitting room in a barn conversion, so it is ideally located. There is also that nice juxtaposition of a contemporary cylindrical stove in an old building, that works very well, the contrast of old and new, fabulous. Aesthetics aside, I thought I would focus this week’s blog on this Mendip stove as it is unusual, in that I do many, many examples of Mendip stoves across the local area, however I can’t think of any other examples of a Mendip cylindrical stove that I do. In fact, I do a number of Mendip stoves, but not many cylindrical stoves. I think you will agree that this stove has very sleek lines and does look particularly good in its setting, even if the stove glass requires a little cleaning attention! From my point of view, unlike some cylindrical stoves, it was quite awkward to dismantle and put back together. I think that this is a common feature of Mendip stoves, to be honest, I think that the Mendip designers give little thought to the poor chimney sweep who has to come along and sweep the flue, as they are all very difficult to dismantle and frequently have internal components that have to be unbolted. Not a good idea inside a stove as they are usually seized tight because of the heat in the stove and always create the sweep a bit of a headache!

Mendip’s internet blurb states: Mendip Stoves is a family business with our roots set firmly based in Somerset; we have been established since 2008 manufacturing quality wood and multi-fuel stoves. Our combined experience in the stove industry and knowledge of the European stove market enables us to manufacture exceptional appliances designed for the UK Market. We only sell Mendip stoves through a specially selected group of retailers who are committed to wood burning, respected for their knowledge of freestanding and inset stoves. Each retailer can assess your requirements and recommend a stove that will suit your need and lifestyle. Most provide a complete supply and fit service for peace of mind.

Mendip Stoves is a family business with our roots set firmly based in Somerset; we have been established since 2008 manufacturing quality wood and multi-fuel stoves. Our combined experience in the stove industry and knowledge of the European stove market enables us to manufacture exceptional appliances designed for the UK Market.

We only sell Mendip stoves through a specially selected group of retailers who are committed to wood burning, respected for their knowledge of freestanding and inset stoves. Each retailer can assess your requirements and recommend a stove that will suit your need and lifestyle. Most provide a complete supply and fit service for peace of mind.

Unit H1
Mendip Industrial Estate
Mendip Road
Rooksbridge
Somerset
BS26 2UG

01173156207

info@eurostove.co.uk

https://www.mendipstoves.co.uk/

I’m starting to do a lot of these Clock Blithfield 5 Multi-Fuel Stove; this is an example that I swept recently in Dullingham near Newmarket. This is because the Clock range of stoves are now being installed by Cut Maple Stoves of Sturma/New England and they seem to be very popular with their customers. To my mind, they are a very solid, straightforward make of stove, with a large firebox and glass window so that it is easy to see the burn. They are not difficult to dismantle and put back together, but all the stove components do have to be removed from the appliance in order to access the flue. This includes removing the multi-fuel great, which I can tell you from experience is rather heavy! Prior to the stove being installed, this customer was using the inglenook fireplace and had for many years been resistant to change. Now having had their Clock stove installed, they say that they would never go back to their old open fire as the stove is much safer and burns so much more efficiently. They told me that when they were using the open fire the room never really got properly warm and that really it had been more for show. But now that they have their lovely Clock stove, they can turn down their central heating as the stove warms the room so nicely.

Clock Stoves are a British stove company and are based in Trafford, Manchester, and are part of the Efficiency People Trading Limited (TEP). They manufacture a small range of wood-burning stoves which include: Blithfield 5, Blithfield 5 Compact, Blithfield 8Kw, Blithfield DS, Blithfield CS5 and the Sudbury. Their website tells us that: Here at Clock Woodburners we are passionate about designing and building efficient, effective and stylish stoves. But choosing a stove is about more than just how it works and what it looks like, it’s about how it makes you feel. Warm, cosy and secure is how you deserve to feel at home, and creating this feeling is at the heart of everything we do. Our aim is to create a range of stoves, all designed and built here in the UK, that not only lift your spirits and warm your toes, but leave you secure in the knowledge that you have chosen a highly efficient stove that is built to last.

Our very first stove was built in 2016 following a commission by Blithfield Hall, a Grade 1 listed private home in Staffordshire. The stove was a great success and led to the development of our first production-line model which we named the Clock Blithfield 5. Through our growing dealer network and customer base we listened to feedback and next developed the Clock Blithfield Compact 5, a smaller, but no less perfectly formed, version of its big sister the Clock Blithfield 5. We were over the moon when this stove beat all its market rivals to be named Wood Log or Multi-Fuel Appliance of the Year at the 2018 Hearth & Home Exhibition, not bad for the new kid on the block!

We have also recently unveiled the Clock Double Sided. We believe this stove is the first double-sided stove on the market that is fully 2022 compliant. With crystal clear glass for a superb view of the warming, flickering flames which, incidentally, burn 70% more efficiently than the 2022 legislation actually requires, you are going to want to know more about this beauty.

Clock Stoves

Units 3&4, Clarence Avenue, Trafford Park, Manchester,  M17 1QS

https://www.clockwoodburners.co.uk/contact

Cut Maple Stove & Fire Company,

Sturmer Road,

New England,

Halstead CO9 4BB

Telephone: 01440 788788

Email: cutmaple@fireplacesetc.co.uk

Website: http://www.fireplacesetc.co.uk

Here is something that is really rare and quite unusual and quite retro, a Mirus Edinoliva Wood-Burning Stove that I came across in an address in Great Chesterford. This rather ornate retro French stove was quite a surprising find in an ordinary looking house in Great Chesterford. As can be seen from the photograph, the stove has a particularly elaborate design and intricate ornamentation, which all gives it this very striking appearance. The stove itself is not lined, with the stove pipe sitting in an ordinary Victorian brick chimney, consequently it is not the most efficient of appliances and coupled with a rather small firebox considering the size of the stove it looks much better than it operates. This had not put off the customer who is more pleased with the aesthetics of the stove than its ability to heat the home.

Looking on the web it is easy to see that these antique Mirus stoves are very sought after and achieve very high prices when sold on. It would appear that Mirus were a French Stove manufacturer making stoves in the early part of the 20^th Century, a number I looked at were made in the 1920’ and 1930’s. I’m guessing that they have long ceased trading or have been bought out by a larger competitor.

I have included this Stovax Brunel Multi-Fuel Stove that I recently Swept in a cottage in Hempstead, because it is such an attractive stove. The rich deep red enamel finish gives the stove a very classy, attractive finish. I do see quite a few examples of the Stovax Brunel across the local area, but they are usually in a matt black finish like most other stoves. This said I have come across examples of the Stovax Brunel in white and dark blue enamel finishes. I had thought that Stovax had stopped production of the Brunel model, but looking at the Stovax website, it would appear that they are still in production. They are described in the Stovax advertising blurb as “the heart of the home”. The customer is more than happy with the efficiency of the stove and the fact that it has the multi-fuel option so that wood and smokeless fuel can be burnt in it.

Stovax are a British company established in 1981, based in Exeter, and are the largest manufacturer of stoves and fireplaces in the UK. Stovax also manufacture a number of other stove brands including Yeoman, Dovre, Nordpeis, Lotus and Varde.

https://www.stovax.com/information/about-us/

I was working at a customer’s address just last week, when I had this nice surprise. I returned to the van to collect something only to find that the customers Fox Terrier bitch had taken up residence in the back of the van! She was a very affectionate little dog whose curiosity seemed to be greater than any cat. I thought it was very amusing and wanted to share it with all may customers as it did make me smile on the day!

I just loved this cooking range so much I just had to include it in my weekly blog, and it is something a bit different from writing about wood-stoves! This is a Lincar 135GNV Sole Multi-Fule Cooking Range that I recently Swept in an address in Haverhill. Although it is a multi-fuel stove, the couple who own it only use wood to fire it up. I don’t know how apparent it is from the photograph, but on the top left-hand side of the stove is a glass window, this is actually the firebox, so when the stove is alighted you can actually see the fire in the firebox. A really nice feature, that makes this attractive little range even more attractive. The customers say that it gives off such a warm pleasant glow, that they tend to sit in the kitchen more than they use the sitting room!

Lincar, or Lincar Innovazione Del Calore to give them their full title are an Italian stove company. They make a range of appliances including pellet stoves, gas stoves, wood-burning stoves and range cookers. Their models include the Alice 480A Z, Alice 490 AZ, Alicya 531N,  Alicya 531N Canalizzata, Ariel 730N, Aurora 149A VL, Bea 702A GL, Deneris, Duchessa, Flat 501 Canalizzata,, Flat 502, Gaia 149 AV, Gaia 149AV SX, Idroboiler, Milly 515SC, Monella 184N, Monella 185 N Con Forno, Monella 940SA, Monella 176AN Plus, Morgana 740N SA, Nada, Nikita, Olga 501L Canalizzata Slim, Orione, Ravenna, and the Windy.

Lincar Innovazione Del Calore

Via Enrico Fermi 5 (Z. I. Rame),

42046 Reggiolo (RE)

T: (39)0522 972260

info@corisit.com

https://www.lincarstufe.com/

Here is a stove that I thought that it would be well worth focusing my weekly blog on, a Saey Blenheim 12Kw Multi-Fuel Stove that I recently Swept at an address in Kedington. Up until the day I turned up at the address I had never even heard of Saey stoves, let alone worked on one, so it is a real rarity. As it turned out it was rather straight forward and practically constructed stove to work on, with the internal workings being very straight forward to dismantle and put back together. As can be seen in the photographs it is a rather decorative, ornate stove in a traditional style that is not unpleasing to the eye. The stove is situated in the sitting room of a very old, draughty property, yet the customer stated that even on the coldest of winter days the stove warmed the room very nicely.

Saey still make stoves and have quite an extensive range of wood-burning appliances, including the Duo, Fura, Qurve, the 92, Cucina 92, Evo 94, Gustav, Peak & Peak S, Scope and Scope XL and Qube 6 and 8. Saey are a Belgian company based in the town of Oudenaarde. Saey’s website tells us a little about the company: The company is born in 1907 when Omer Saey becomes co-owner of a metal stove and trade. It’s also the basis of a growing family business, which debuted in 1976 with its first stove design. It will be a true success in the eighties throughout the Benelux. Today, the fourth generation SAEY looks back on a flourishing history of over 100 years. Saey has become a strong player that offers its customers a wide range of user-friendly and durable stoves and fireplaces.

Saey Stoves/Belgofire NV

Industriepark de Bruwaan

9700 Oudenaarde

Belgium

T: 0546865808

info@unifire.be

https://www.saeyheating.com/en/products/category/wood-stoves

I have not had a thatched animal in my blog for sometime now, so I thought I would change that this weekend! I saw this rather large fox on the roof of a property I was working at in Balsham, down a little back lane. He is a rather handsome fellow, I think! Running across the ridge line pursued by an imaginary pack of hounds.

Google tells us that foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. Foxes have a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or brush).

Twelve species belong to the monophyletic “true foxes” group of genus Vulpes. Approximately another 25 current or extinct species are always or sometimes called foxes; these foxes are either part of the paraphyletic group of the South American foxes, or of the outlying group, which consists of the bat-eared fox, gray fox, and island fox.^[1] Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. By far the most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with about 47 recognized subspecies.^[2] The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The hunting of foxes with packs of hounds, long an established pursuit in Europe, especially in the British Isles, was exported by European settlers to various parts of the New World.

To round off this blog, here is a fox poem I have put out there before in a previous blog.

The Thought-Fox

I imagine this midnight moment’s forest:
Something else is alive
Beside the clock’s loneliness
And this blank page where my fingers move.

Through the window I see no star:
Something more near
though deeper within darkness
Is entering the loneliness:

Cold, delicately as the dark snow
A fox’s nose touches twig, leaf;
Two eyes serve a movement, that now
And again now, and now, and now

Sets neat prints into the snow
Between trees, and warily a lame
Shadow lags by stump and in hollow
Of a body that is bold to come

Across clearings, an eye,
A widening deepening greenness,
Brilliantly, concentratedly,
Coming about its own business

Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox,
It enters the dark hole of the head.
The window is starless still; the clock ticks,
The page is printed.

I do sweep a large number of Chesneys stoves across the local area, usually the Beaumont, Salisbury and Shoreditch models, which seem to be their most popular stoves. However, I recently came across this Chesneys Alpine 4Kw Eco Multi-Fuel Stove which I swept and did a safety check on at an address in Manuden. It is an unusual stove design and looks nothing like any of the other Chesneys models, all of which have a much more traditional look. The Alpine has a rather strange retro futuristic look to it, something of a design classic. The customer told me that for a small 4Kw stove it produces a terrific amount of heat when in operation, which is just as well as it has a rather large room to heat.

Chesneys was founded nearly 40 years ago by Paul Chesney. It had a single showroom and small workshop in London and concentrated exclusively on the restoration and sale of antique English fireplaces.

Today Chesneys is still a family-owned run business but during the intervening years it has developed a unique portfolio of luxury heating products and become a globally recognized brand. It now has showrooms in London, New York, Shanghai and Beijing. It also has over 200 authorized Stockists selling its products throughout the UK, Europe, Japan and Australasia. It has its own manufacturing facilities in the UK, China and Portugal and distribution centres in Nottingham and New Jersey.

Chesneys prides itself on its innovation and product design, investing in an on-going programme of research and development. As a result, it now boasts the most diverse portfolio of products of any company in the luxury heating sector. These include fireplaces, wood burning stoves and gas, electric and ethanol fires. Most recently, Chesneys launched a range of hybrid Outdoor products, which, uniquely, combine a heating and cooking functionality that has worldwide patent protection.

The company’s success has been based on an uncompromising dedication to its core values. These have remained unchanged over the years and are simply expressed as a commitment to outstanding craftsmanship, intelligent engineering and innovative design. These have been the cornerstones of our success, accompanied by an aspiration to deliver service levels of the highest standard.

The company is continuing to expand its horizons. Late 2020 saw the opening of a new showroom in London’s Chelsea Design Quarter and highlights of new product development include a focus on environmentally friendly decorative heating solutions that use ethanol and electricity. Work, as ever, also continues in the design and development of new fireplace designs.

https://chesneys.co.uk

0207 6271410

sales@chesneys.co.uk

mailto:sales@chesneys.co.uk

I see a number of Kratki stoves across the local area and are usually of the contemporary cylindrical stove type. Clearly this example a Kratki AB S/DR 8Kw Wood-Burning Stove which I Swept recently in an address at Radwinter End is a contemporary cylindrical model. Kratki are a Polish make of stove and are more at the budget end of the stove market. This said they are a reasonably well put together and efficient stove type. Indeed, my customers who have them are more than content with their performance and have said that although they are reasonably priced, they are robust and do the job that they are designed to do.

https://kratki.com

contact@kratki.com

2080 681288