Where is the best place to buy a woodburning or multifuel stove?

In this article I have included a testimonial and a tribute to Mr. Bernard Davis whom in my and many peoples eyes was a great pioneer within the UK stove industry, with the supply of his products throughout the UK and Ireland from the 1960s to this very day.
Many years ago when I entered the stove industry, over 25 years now, there were only a handful of dedicated “stove people”, selling multifuel and woodburning stoves in the U K. It was not even until more recent years that there was a stove trade show to go to in the UK, which was held in a large marquee, as the numbers were not big enough to justify a large venue. Those were great days as all the stove traders were dedicated to their trade, living and breathing woodburning stoves. They would have been considered as “anoraks” to coin a phrase by the general public. A lot of them operated from small dwellings normally in a rural setting.
Nowadays everybody has caught on to these wonderful high efficiency machines and they can be bought from a dedicated woodburning stove supplier right down to a builder’s merchants or even local hardware suppliers in some areas. This is only because of their present sales potential. Maybe I am old fashioned but to me buying the correct woodburning or multifuel stove is a serious business, as correct planning, stove selection and fitting are of the utmost importance. We had dedicated stove fitters in those days but now there is a team of expert fitters covering the UK, which you can source from www.hetas.co.uk.
A woodburning or multifuel stove strangely becomes an integrated part of the family, as it is easily lit, supplies a great and comfortable heat and gives a lovely feeling of ambience and friendliness when in use in any room setting.
Maybe this stems back to our roots when our ancestors sat around the fire to cook, keep warm and talk about their daily adventures.
I became interested in woodburning and multifuel stoves, through a great stove enthusiast from Sussex called Mr. Bernard Davis. This English gentleman was in many ways a pioneer within the industry from as far back as the 1960s. Bernard’s enthusiasm, passion, foresight and design capability was my inspiration for becoming passionate for these timeless high efficiency machines, with a long history dating back centuries. The earliest cast iron stove being discovered in China and dating back to 200 AD.
Bernard’s story is fascinating in that his background was in sculpturing.
He began by designing an open fire basket for his home, as in those days only expensive so called antique fire baskets could be purchased. He had his template design cast in a local foundry. Bernard soon found that the word was spreading and his career in cast-iron design had begun. Bernard’s fascination for art and design, combined with his engineering and technical abilities soon led to a range of ornate cast-iron stoves being born. Bernard and his wife Diana were soon sourcing cast-iron foundries at home and abroad to bring these creations to life.
Similar to most woodburning stove enthusiasts Bernard and Diana never sought the bright lights of city centre shops, but worked and operated for many years from their rural setting in Sussex, England with great success. Bernard constantly visited the foundries where he cast his stoves, and spent endless hours constantly improving the combustion of his designs long before any one had heard of CE approvals. Bernard’s range of cast-iron woodburning and multifuel stoves were and are still known as Longlife stoves. Look for the BD & Co logo at the front of the stove, beneath the stove door, and that will be one of Bernard’s designs.
I have customers that have purchased longlife stoves from my shop over 20 years ago and even with constant use, the stoves having had normal maintenance, still look well and perform as designed. Nowadays you will see a multitude of copies similar to Bernard’s Victorian traditional looking designs but they do not bear his logo.
Bernard and Diana prided themselves in always keeping the necessary spare parts for all their models in stock. Most good stove traders always keep a supply of necessary spare parts for their woodburning or multifuel stoves.
As times and emission controls changed so did Bernard’s designs and burning systems. The longlife range has grown with the times and today also offers more plain designs with large glass windows, for a greater view of the fire.
Although, many of the experts in the stove trade operate from home and rural shops, they have not been slow to enter the world of the Web. Should you wish to buy your woodburning stove on line from one of these experienced traders you will find a little bit of their history in their “about us “ section on their website. Some have help lines and technical assistance numbers, but it may only be a dedicated husband and wife team. You will soon know when you contact these sites, whether or not you are talking to an expert or a sales assistant.
Sadly Bernard has passed away, leaving the legacy of his stoves in the hands of his very capable wife Diana and his son Anthony, who have continued on his work and have kept the name BD & CO a logo, representing good quality cast-iron stoves. In conclusion, as mentioned at the start of the article, woodburning and multifuel stoves are available everywhere just because of their present sales potential. My recommendation is that you seek out local or on the Web dedicated woodburning or multifuel stove traders. Some of these traders will supply brand names but many do not. Rest assured if your chosen trader is a dedicated “stove person” he or she will have vetted their products thoroughly and you should be buying a great woodburning or multifuel stove with full CE or Din approvals at a competitive price. You will also find they have an abundant knowledge on everything, from the stove suitability for your situation to a great knowledge on fitting, chimneys and technical issues .A lot of them will provide you with a technical assistance telephone number as well for “after care” and one thing is for sure when you call that number you will get the right person to help.
18th June 2009
For more information on multifuel woodburning stoves visit www.hotstovedeals.com