One of the features we wanted in a new house was to either have it come with a wood burning stove or be able to get one fitted. The one we bought didn’t come with a stove but the owners had left the flue they used with the one they took with them and the name of the company that installed it a couple of years ago. So, we took a trip up to Flames of Newark today and we’ve ordered a new stove that they can fit to the existing flue saving money and hassle.

We got a Newman “Panther”, a relatively small stove with a svelte design. The firebox is a little bit smaller than the one we had in Oxford so I’ll have to keep sawing and chopping our wood down to fit but that will help it dry out more quickly and it shouldn’t be a particularly hungry feeder. Also, because it is a standalone stove rather than inset into the wall like the previous one, we anticipate getting a much better heat return from it as it will radiate from all sides rather than just the front glass.

Installation won’t happen until August but I’m not anticipating we’ll have need of it for some time after that and we also need to start rebuilding our wood stocks (and wood storage capacity).