A couple of weeks ago we trekked up to my hometown Liverpool in order to visit Liverpool University with my youngest daughter Katie who has an offer from Liverpool to study Geology. Fortunately, we had as our guide my twin brother Mick a university professor and former senior lecturer at Liverpool. We had a good mooch about and Katie was suitably impressed. I couldn’t resist taking these photos of regency age chimneys in and around Abercromby Square at the heart of the university. I think the look fantastic and are a feature of Liverpool’s rebranded ‘Georgian Quarter’. The city was actually full of tourists, who would have thought it!!!

In recent weeks my blog has mentioned a number of large stoves, so here is another monster stove; this is a Barbas Falcon 66-56 Wood-Burning Stove. I swept this example recently at an address in Bardfield End Green. As can be seen from the photo it is a rather large stove that when it is in operation kicks out a huge amount of heat – According to the customer that is. Like all Barbas stoves, it has a complex series of baffles that have to be removed prior to sweeping. This makes the job somewhat tricky and a little more time consuming than the average job, but that is all in a busy chimney sweeps working day! I like this stove and imagine that it is rather attractive when alight, however I can’t help thinking that when it is not working, it looks rather like a big fish tank?

Barbas Bellfire are based in Holland and Belgium, they employ over 160 staff and produce 120 different models of stove. So, they are a large concern on the continent and have been manufacturing stoves since 1976. They manufacture wood-burning stoves as well as gas fires. Some of their wood-burning stove models include the Evolux 100-45 range, and the Box range. The box is what it says on the tin a box stove in various sizes.

Barbas Bellfire

Hallenstraat 17

5531 AB,

Bladel,

Holland

T: (0)49 733 9200

E: info@barbasbellfires.com

At the end of January, we spent our usual annual couple of days sweeping in Wales, for free! This involves sweeping the chimneys of Claire’s dad’s friends in the Wenvoe farming community. As usual six addresses were swept in and around Wenvoe and much tea was drunk, and cake and biscuits consumed along the way!

However, this years visit with an additional day and two new addresses swept in Swansea. One was Claire’s brother Dan’s Clearview Vision 500 in Mumbles, the other being our accountant’s Hunter Hawk in Bishopston – Quire the dirtiest stove I have ever swept – See Photo!

I know that I have featured Vermont stoves in my blogs previously, but I couldn’t resist choosing this one for this week’s blog, as you can see, it is something of a monster stove. Yes, it is quite a massive stove, with a huge 16Kw output, which is very high considering it is a wood burning stove only. In that wood burns at a much lower temperature than the majority of multi-fuels, i.e. smokeless. Fortunately for the customer, this Vermont stove is located in a very large room, so there is no danger of the room becoming overly hot!

Although Vermont stoves can be classed as Retro stoves, they are rather dated technology now, but attractive all the same and I do see many of them still all around the area; Intrepid’ s, Encore’s, Defiant’ s, Dauntless, Resolute’ s and Vigilante’s. Vermont claim that the Intrepid II has a 10 hour burn interval per each load of wood. This seems an incredibly long period of time, but the stove does have a capacious firebox, albeit long and narrow. Vermont also say that the top surface can be utilized as a cooking hob.

Vermont Stoves uses a quote from Frank Lloyd Wright in their marketing: “The fireplace? The heart of the home itself”. I think that this is a rather nice sentiment. The are based in the USA and their website tells us that; Hearth & Home Technologies is a subsidiary of HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI). HNI is the second-largest office furniture manufacturer in the world, and the leading manufacturer and marketer of gas and biomass-fueled appliances and hearth products. The company has been recognized by Forbes and Fortune magazine as a top company to work for in the U.S.A.

https://www.vermontcastings.com/products/aspen-c3-wood-burning-stove

T: 001 877 863 4350

Not a make of stove that I have featured before in my weekly blog, and yet I do see quite a few Dunsley Stoves around the local area. Usually, the Dunsley’s I do see are the more modern, contemporary models that they manufacture. However, on this occasion I am focusing on this example of a Dunsley Highlander 5 Multi-Fuel Stove that I recently swept at a thatched property in Little Sampford. As can be seen from the photograph the Dunsley Highlander is a more traditional stove design and is a model of stove that Dunsley have been making for many, many years. So we can safely say that it is a tried and trusted design. I also wanted to include it in my blog as the stove was particularly dirty. Indeed, it a had a tar blockage in the flue which I had to remove. As can be seen in one of the photographs, the material I swept down the chimney filled the stove and flue pipe up to and beyond the inspection hatch. Alarmingly, the customer told me another sweep had been to the address a few weeks previously and swept the chimney and failed to remove all these deposits. All the more reason to use a properly qualified and insured chimney sweep to do the work rather than the cheaper fly-by night operators who are out there working with the minimum if any training and no liability or indemnity insurance.

Dunsley are a British Stove manufacturer based in Holnfirth, near Kirklees West Yorkshire. They started making stoves and solid fuel boilers in 1952 under the name Dunsley Heating Appliance Co. Ltd. The company’s website tells us that: With over 70 years of manufacturing fires and heating equipment Dunsley believe we can offer a range of solid fuel fires, multifuel stoves and woodburning stoves to suit all requirements.
Continual development using up to date technology and quality control gives you the best of safety devices and fuel efficiency.

Dunsley Heat Ltd is a family run business formed in 1950 by the Broadbent brothers who developed solid fuel open fire central heating boilers. The Broadbent family still run the business today although the next generation now form the management structure.

Today Dunsley offer more than just boilers, we offer solutions for every heating requirement, including multi-fuel stoves, open fires and woodburning stoves. The Dunsley factory is located in Holmfirth, Yorkshire and it is here that we design and manufacture all our products including Multifuel Stoves, Open Fires and Boilers.

Dunsley Heat Ltd
Bridge Mills
Huddersfield road
Holmfirth
Huddersfield
HD9 3TW

T: 01484 682635

email: sales@dunsleyheat.co.uk

http://dunsleyheat.co.uk/contact%20dunsley.html

Here is a make of stove that I have not come across before, Varde. Yes, not a well known manufacturer of stoves, this example is a Varde Ovne Multi-Fuel Stove which I recently swept at an address in Shepreth. It is unusual as it has the appearance of a contemporary cylindrical stove, but if you look at the photograph closely you will see that it is not truly cylindrical and is only cylindrical at the front of the stove. It does however have a rather capacious fire-box and the customer reports that when a light it really does heat the room most effectively.

Varde is a Danish stove manufacturer, but their stoves are distributed in United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland by the Stovax Group. The Stovax Group is the UK’s largest stove and fireplace producer with a range of designs from contemporary to traditional stoves. Varde produce a range of contemporary looking stoves which include the Bornholm, the Shape 2, the Samso and the Aura 1, Aura 3 and Aura 11.

On their website the sales blurn tells us that: Varde is one of the leading Scandinavian manufacturers of high-efficiency wood burning stoves, focused on combining functionality, quality materials and designer aesthetics.

With a stylish collection of freestanding models, each at the pinnacle of contemporary stove design and incorporating the latest technology, a Varde stove offers complete ease of use and the finest flame experience to bring comforting warmth and an inviting atmosphere into your home.

At Varde, we have a burning passion for creating beautiful stoves that epitomise the fine craftsmanship and design flair that runs throughout our Danish heritage.

About Varde

I do love a contemporary cylindrical stove, they are just so modern and stylish and look fantastic when alight. This example is a Jotul F483 Multi-Fuel Stove that I recently swept in Littlebury, but I do sweep a few other examples of the same stove across the local area. So, although it is at the top end of the stove price range, it is obviously very popular with the consumer. They are not the easiest of stoves to work on as they have a tricky set of small double baffles, two either side of the flue mouth. Fortunately, these are shaped and slot into groves, so providing that you have them the right way around they are not too bad to remove and refit. The thing I’m not to sure about is the installation of this particular stove. I don’t think it was the best of ideas to position it on top of a glass hearth which in turn is placed over carpet, As can be seen from the photograph material has been able to track under the glass hearth and become trapped. I think you will agree that the resultant effect is a bit unsightly. I know the customer who recently bought the property is not happy with it and is going to have the carpet removed and have some form of solid flooring.

 Jotul are a Norweigan company and have been making stoves and fireplaces for over 160 years. Jotul are proud of their global status, selling their products in 43 different countries spread over six continents – Truly a global brand!

Jøtul was founded by Oluf Onsum as Kværner Jernstøberi (Kværner Foundry) in the outskirts of Christiania (now Oslo) in 1853. While stoves initially were the main products, the company had diversified by the beginning of the 20th century, when it produced turbines and lumber equipment.

As the heating appliance manufacture decreased in importance, the production was spun off in 1916 and sold to Herman Anker, one of Kværner’s managers. He founded Jøtul AS in 1920 as a sales organization for its products. The sales stagnated during the depression in the 1920s, and 36-year-old Herman Anker died in 1927, leaving it to his successor, 34-year-old Johannes Gahr to modernize and eventually salvage the company. By 1935, the turnaround had succeeded, and the firm acquired its modern name.

By the 1960s, stoves using liquid fuels, especially kerosene had supplanted wood-burning appliances, a trend that was only reversed in the 1970s, partly due to the 1973 oil crisis. Jøtul used this opportunity to gain a strong international foothold and drastically increased its exports to continental Europe and North America.

The Gahr family sold the business to Norcem in 1977, and a period of international expansion began, as Jøtul acquired a number of foundries and importers abroad. This period lasted for approximately ten years, but came to an end during the recession in the late 1980s, when Jøtul once again focussed on the domestic market. However, it has resumed its international diversification in the 21st century, and today its products are sold worldwide.

In March 2018, Jøtul was acquired by the global private equity firm OpenGate Capital. Along with management, OpenGate has crafted a plan to boost performance and eliminate inefficiencies in Jøtul’s operations. In addition, OpenGate Capital is actively searching for add-on targets to further drive Jøtul’s growth. In November 2018, OpenGate and Jøtul completed the add-on acquisition of AICO, an Italian and French based pellet-burning stove leader.

https://www.jotul.co.uk/

 Here is something I was very surprised to find and something of a bit of a mystery. Yes, I hear you saying, that is surely a Stovax Stockton Stove, but is it? On closer inspection there are subtle differences in manufacture, not least of this the embossed names of Redfyre and Kensal on the stove. I too was initially somewhat dumbfounded and asked the customer who and when had the stove installed. The customer told me that a stove fitting company from Bury St Edmunds that is no longer in business installed the stove over 25 years ago. So, what is going on?

Briefly, it would appear that Redfyre stoves made a model range called the Kensal, which in effect looked very much the same as the Stovax Stockton. This is because when Stovax took over the Redfyre company they simply changed the name of the Kensal range of stove models to the Stockton range. Obviously over the years they have continued to develop and make changes to this model. Today the Stockton range is one of Stovax’s most popular range.

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 have featured a number of different antique Godin stoves in my previous blogs, and it is not hard to see why they make such a great post. They are always so elegant and ornate and are usually found in different brightly coloured enamels. Indeed, many of these type of antique French stoves are manufactured in coloured enamels, which is part of there attraction and charm. This example is a Godin 3726 7Kw Wood-Burning Stove that I recently swept in Chrishall. As can be seen from the photographs, it is a beautiful stove, something like a piece of retro art. Yet, the customer tells me that it is regurlaly used of the winter months and heats the room most effectively. It certainly complements it surrounding, positioned as it is in the sitting room of a large, thatched property. As a sweep, I look forward to these moments when I come across examples of these antique French stoves, it really makes my day! Readers of my blog will know that I have posted about a number of these retro stoves in the past and which include makes such as Godin, Mirus and Faure Revin.

The Godin stove is the foundational of the history of French stove making, and indeed to the history of domestic stove manufacturing as a whole. Before the era of cast iron, domestic fuel took on many forms from the open hearth fire to the clay or stone kiln, but then the 23 year Godin started his business in 1840 making fireplaces in a shed in the centre of Thierache with a loan of about 4,000 francs from his parent, this quickly became too small.

The works soon moved to Guise where he started employing 30 people and in spite of fierce competition his business grew rapidly. The most important reason for this was his innovation. Godin applied for many patents for his products and concentrated on continually improving them both aesthetically and technically, making antique stoves from his era especially valuable.
Godin became a figure to know in French industrial relations. Godin offered his employees living wages or higher at a time of economic downturn, hired from a small pool of people in one geographical area reducing turn over and improving employee reliability.

By the end of the 1900’s, with a further 2000 employees, Godin was dominating the European stove market. Stove designs became ornate and stylised with the advent of the 20^th century and the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. Godin’s stove design in this period did not become as elaborate and decorative as some other companies, such as Deville and Rosières, etc. But the stoves they produced in the early 20^th century were, as always with Godin, extremely efficient and featured superb quality enamelling. Some of these original designs are still in production in the Godin factory today, laying testament to their design and efficiency.

We wish all Our Customers and friends a Happy Christmas  – After working 7 days a week since the start of August we are now ready for some time off and a relaxing family Christmas, we intend to have a good one and wish every one we know the same! Below is some festive fun and Christmas chimney trivia from the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps.

Christmas is a time where myths come into play – it’s all part of the fun – and the chimney retains a central role in setting the stage for festive celebrations. For how could Santa Claus enter a home and leave presents, if he couldn’t use a chimney?

Yet it’s not always been the case that Santa plopped down a flue with cheerful aplomb – a merry plump gent with snow-white beard, ruddy cheeks and garbed in red.

In fact, it was American writer Washington Irving who came up with the notion of Santa tumbling down the chimney with gifts for youngsters. In his satire, ‘Knickerbocker’s History of New York’ (1809), Irving took a dig at Dutch immigrants in the New Amsterdam. His satirical aim was those obsessed with the Dutch heritage of the city. The character he presented was a Dutch burgher version of St Nicholas, smoking a clay pipe with an elfin appearance: –

‘…in the sylvan days of New Amsterdam the good St. Nicholas would often make his appearance in his beloved city of a holiday afternoon, riding jollily among the tree tops or over the roofs of the houses, now and then drawing forth magnificent presents from his breeches pockets and dropping them down the chimneys of his favourites’.

The character’s original Dutch name of ‘Sinterklaas’ was Americanized as ‘Santa Claus’. The idea of Santa coming down the chimney himself (rather than just chucking presents down) was later popularised in the poem ‘A Visit from St Nicholas’ by Prof Clement Clark Moore in 1823 with cartoonist Thomas Nast giving Mr Claus his sleigh, his reindeer and depicting him as a jolly big chap.

St Nicholas, the original inspiration behind the character, lived in the 4th century, in what is now modern-day Turkey, as the Bishop of Myra. He became the patron saint of children, as well as (eventually) Amsterdam and Moscow. One legend says that he put money through the window of a home to help a poor family whose daughters faced prostitution. As chimneys became commonplace, the tale adapted over the years as it became popular, to see the saint dropping money down the flue. Dutch children began leave shoes by the fireplace, as the legend evolved, so that the saint could put gifts and sweets down the chimney and fill the shoes as part of the celebration of the Feast of St Nicholas. The tradition was carried to the New World of America with Dutch emigrants and that is how Irving, as above, came to be involved in the development of the tradition. A tradition which later saw Santa evolve further such as with the famous Coca Cola promotion of the merry red gent in the 1930s.

Santa wasn’t always big, however. In the 19th century, the Sinterklaas character was somewhat small in stature. And there were similar characters who no doubt influenced the literary tradition around Winter celebrations. That was especially true when it came to the chimney and fireplace. There have been endless myths about witches, goblins and fairies entering a home via a chimney, especially during Christmas festivities. The brownie was one such mythical creature, said to help with household tasks at night – leaving when morning came by disappearing up the chimney.

A precursor of Santa Claus could arguably be the ‘Belsnickel’, a wild man with a whip which, according to German folklore of Pennsylvania in the 19th century, frightened bad children and rewarded good youngsters. He was darker in appearance and of nature than Santa, but would still use the chimney at midnight to leave gifts in a stocking. His name means ‘furry Nicholas’.  Belsnickel echoes somewhat another character known in the Lowland countries during Winter celebrations: Zwarte Piet. His myth presents him as rather harsh to naughty children and the character itself, with a blacked-up face, is somewhat controversial. Odin, the Norse god, was also alleged to enter homes via chimneys during the Winter solstice. All of these characters have influenced the Santa Claus we know today – and the chimney has always been the stage for the storytelling.

Whether it is Santa Claus or Sinterklaas, goblins or a wild man – the chimney holds a mystical allure during the festive period. The darkness inside the structure, connecting the home to the outside world, speaks of mystery and intrigue, which comes alive as part of celebrations for Christmas. And that is why chimney sweeps also have a near-mythical status in the Winter literary tradition – the difference being, of course, that they are real!