Our new window display

We've just installed a new window display to show some of our lovely stoves - it doesn't look quite as much like an authentic sitting room as the image above, but you get the idea...

We've got more than fifty different styles of stove in stock in our showroom downstairs at Westcombes, but we found that many people coming into the shop weren't even aware that we sold stoves.  So, we hope our new display will make it clear. We'll post a picture later, but we're just waiting for the latest addition to our shop window and once he's arrived, we'll let you take a peek!

Autumn is officially here...

Did you know that our seasons officially begin on the 21st of the relevant month, so today is the official start of autumn?  It's always our busiest time of the year and on a grey, wet day like today, the idea of a blazing fire is very appealing!

Customers often ask if you can have an open fire in London, and it's fine as long as you burn the right sort of coal for use in a smokeless zone.  Once you've got the knack of it, lighting a fire doesn't take long and it's not nearly as messy as people imagine either.  One option many are now considering is a stove - the latest Defra-approved models allow you to burn logs in inner city areas, and there are a wide variety of styles from the traditional to sleek ultra-modern designs. 

We have more than fifty stoves on show at Westcombes - and we even stock fabulous kiln-dried logs to burn in them - so do come and pay us a visit.

Our restoration service

You may not be aware that at Westcombes we not only offer one of London's widest selections of fireplaces and stoves, we can also restore old fires.  If you've got an old cast iron or marble fireplace in your house that could do with some care and attention, why not get in touch ?

We've been restoring fires for more than twenty years, and our expert restoration team carry out work in situ or in our yard at the shop.  This Edwardian art nouveau fire needed a lot of work, but now looks really beautiful.  If you want to return your fires to their former glory - give us a call on 0208 852 6204

Gas fires - leave it to an expert...

 I was reading an interesting article the other day about the different ways that people are saving money during the recession, and one suggestion was that more and more people are carrying out their own DIY to save money,  Apparently, nearly a third of people have said they'd fit a gas appliance themselves to cut costs.

 

We've found that sometimes people buying fires online aren't aware of the potential risks, but it's vital to get an expert who is registered with Gas Safe to fit any gas appliances.  Even if you fancy yourself as a bit of a dab hand at DIY and think you know what you're doing, when it comes to gas it's always better to be safe and sure and to leave the job to a professional. We work with Gas Safe and Hetas registered fireplace fitters to ensure we have the right people for the job when it comes to fitting Westcombes fires and stoves.

If you want any advice, see our website www.westcombes.co.uk 

The strange tale of the boy who got stuck in a chimney....

We know the Victorians used to send children up chimneys. but we've just come across an unusual story from the States about a child who had to be rescued from inside a chimney by firefighters. Apparently the eight-year-old boy was stuck in the chimney for four hours after trying to use it as a way into the house.  He'd turned up there earlier and had played with the grandchildren of the couple who owned the house and been given a drink and snack.  He'd been sent home but claimed he'd come back because he was thirsty and had tried to get into the house through the chimney as the owners were out.  When they returned, they kept thinking they could hear a child's voice and finally tracked it down to the chimney - from where the boy was rescued by firefighters!

It's a rare tale and you can read more about it here - but it does show quite how skilled and agile those Victorian chimney children must have been!

Stove selection....

We're known for our huge range of antique, reproduction and modern fireplaces at Westcombes, but you may not realise that we now have a vast selection of stoves at our Lee High Road showroom.  As stoves have become more popular, we've been expanding our specialist stove selection and can now offer a great choice of different brands of wood burning, multi-fuel, electric and gas stoves.

We now stock stoves from Aga, Franco Belge, Esse, Carron, Capital Fires Stoves, Gallery Stoves, Burley, Broseley, Dovre, Eco Warm, Stovax and Gazco, Bohemia and Pevex, the range from West Fires and the Arada stoves including Aarrow and Villager.  We have one of our showrooms dedicated entirely to our stove range and we can offer help and advice on the most suitable stove for your home - so do come and pay us a visit.

Which local magazines do you read?

We're just sorting out our advertising for the autumn, and we'd be really interested in any feedback from S/E Londoners about which local magazines you get and whether you read them. If you get lots arriving free through your door, do you have a favourite?  Do you prefer one to any others?  Do you look at the ads, or do you just read some of the features?  We'd love to know what you think - you can reply to our blog, email us through our website or even talk to us on twitter - we're @westcombefires  

Don't forget - we cover the whole of South-East London and northern areas of Kent, so we're interested in your thoughts if you're anywhere in our region!