Discovered a victorian kitchen range - what should I do?

[flowera]

We've just taken possession of our house - a 1860s brick farmhouse which has a boarded-up fireplace in the main room. I was expecting to find a nice fireplace to house a woodburner - but yesterday discovered a totally intact original iron kitchen range.

Everything seems to be there and it looks like it was left in working order. It is about 4 feet wide and was made by "Metal Agencies Co, Bristol". But what the heck should I do with it?... I need additional heating in the room - so I guess I could renovate the range and fire it up - but I suspect it is coal fired and I really don't want the soot/mess. I'm assuming these things are not exactly easy to live with. There again, it would be a lovely 'feature' and although we've got a seperate kitchen it might come in handy if energy costs escalate further!

I'm leaning towards pulling it out and replacing with a modern woodburner... and hope that the thing would come out without too much trouble and leave me with something that might resemble a fireplace.

Anyone got an opinion on what I should do? Does anyone have one of their own? Can anyone advise me of the practicalities of living with one?

If I pulled it out I hope it might be valuable to someone - any idea how best to sell/value such an item?

Alan.

 

[Nemesis]

In the immortal words of Ptolemy - rejoice!

Don't even think about removal! How I wish I had still the range intact. I still recall with affection the one I grew up with.

Surely you could find some other means of heating (a radiator?) which would leave such a super part of the history of your house intact?

Use it for special occasions as a fire... wood or coal.

Or fit a gas burner if the mess is more than you can contemplate.

Value to your home - priceless.

http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/deselem/range/range.htm

PS The room would have been the farmhouse kitchen. There would be a scullery off?

 

[L1zzy]

Pleeese don't rip it out try to work with it too many things get torn from old houses.

 

[Sue Wilkinson]

I must endorse the other posts. Don't take it out, repair and use it. Coal fires are not the mess we modern people seem to think they are anyway. No more messy than a wood burner which still needs emptying and sweeping.

We should remember that even if we have paid a lot of money for our period houses, we don't 'own' them as such. We are just taking care of them for the next generation. Once gone these things can't be replaced without it being a fabrication.

I would have loved to find a range in my ingelnook when I opened it up. As it was I could clearly see where it had been, but it was gone.

Think of the talking point when you cook dinner for friends on an original range!

Sue

 

[Nemesis]

I have friends who put one of those 'gas effect' fires in a range. It isn't used often ie not for daily heat - but when they want to have a real fire it's simple. I appreciate not the greenest of solutions. But clean and quick.

We have the spaces where TWO ranges were - I'm actually trying to find one which I can hide my (solid fuel) boiler behind. That's in one of the spaces and isn't very attractive.

I have about identified some odd bits and pieces , like a door, to cobble something together... pastiche but so what in that case.

In the main room we have an open type stove - gets lit in the evening. A bit messy but you can't beat a proper fire.

 

[David Q]

If you really want to get rid of it, then most salvage companies will be very glad to buy it (but they wont give you a fraction of its restored value). Look at the Salvo website and it will show you the nearest of their dealers. But please, please keep it, I think you will only regret it if you take it out. They are a lovely part of a house, especially if used and you can get it converted to gas if you just want a feature. Far better with coal though.

 

[peter-300]

I have one in my kitchen for show, I put it in the alcove where there was one orginally.

It fits exact and is the nearest thing to what would have been there as it was also made by a local blacksmith. I live in Nottingham and had to go all the way to Skegness to get it. Wood burners are so dull and predictable, I think this would definately add more value if it is in working order or is converted to gas!

 

[Becka]

I have a big hole where my range ought to be, I would dearly love to have found one, but all I found when i opened it up was a mummified crow! think yourself exceptionally lucky to have found something so pleasant and cherish it..

 

[Silas]

RIP IT OUT, YOU COULD FIT AN OFFICE DESK AND YOUR PC IN THE SPACE...... The horror! I have seen this done in big old fireplaces. Ah contemporary living.
Seriously you luky lucky lucky s** your house went up in value the moment you dicovered the range it is very rare for it to have survived
please dont be the one to rip out this treasure and throw yet more of your houses history to the vultures get it renovated then you will be one step ahead in preperation for peak oil :lol:

 

[mark_j_k]

I'm sure there's an open range lurking in the back of a stone shed I know. It's not been used in ages and it's still installed. (I'll post a pic one day)

 

[flowera]

Thanks for the replies so far - I can definitely see the overwhelming point of view in favour of keeping the range where it is.

I am thinking about HOW I could make it 'work' in the room in occupies. The thing is whilst the room is the old kitchen it is now very much 'my' family room - the heart of the house. I was expecting to have a nice warm log burner installed so that the whole family could sit around it day and night.

For the range to suit my needs I have to find a way of firing it up on a daily basis - ideally from wood AND I need to ensure it would operate cleanly as I really don't want a load of mess to deal with (or safety issues). I also don't need to cook on it either - except in extremis!

I'll see if I can get some photos taken and I will post here - once I have found a way of disconnecting the radiator that is attached to the boarding in front of it. You may find it difficult to believe but about 60 years ago the fireplace was boarded up - and radiators run off a back-boiler in the sitting room next door... I guess that was viewed as a massive improvement at the time!

I've been doing some reading and it sounds like looking after one of these things (back in Victorian times!) was almost a full time job - what with all the black leading etc!

I'd really welcome any comments from someone who has one of these in working condition - I'd like to understand what it would take to use/operate on a daily basis.

Alan.

 

[flowera]

In the immortal words of Ptolemy - rejoice!

Don't even think about removal! How I wish I had still the range intact. I still recall with affection the one I grew up with.

Surely you could find some other means of heating (a radiator?) which would leave such a super part of the history of your house intact?

Use it for special occasions as a fire... wood or coal.

Or fit a gas burner if the mess is more than you can contemplate.

Value to your home - priceless.

http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/deselem/range/range.htm

PS The room would have been the farmhouse kitchen. There would be a scullery off?

Yes, and the current kitchen is in the scullery - what progress! Unfortunately, all I have in the current kitchen is an AGA and nothing else - we've just started to think about improving that space - the idea did cross my mind to move the kitchen back to its original location... (and old range and an AGA in the same room...) But I've got so much to do already I'm not sure I want yet another big job to budget for.

Alan.

 

[NT]

quote="flowera"

> I was expecting to have a nice warm log burner installed so that the whole family could sit around it day and night.

sounds like youve already got one. Just not the style you had in mind. Have the door open while lit.


> For the range to suit my needs I have to find a way of firing it up on a daily basis - ideally from wood

I dont understand what the problem is, insert wood, insert wad of paper, insert flame.


> AND I need to ensure it would operate cleanly as I really don't want a load of mess to deal with (or safety issues).

Sorry but theres no such thing as a wood or coal fire without ashes. Ash is just how they work. They also spit hot bits out now and then, yours has a door you can close to prevent that. You cant have solid fuel without ashes.


> I also don't need to cook on it either - except in extremis!

no-one will make you


> I've been doing some reading and it sounds like looking after one of these things (back in Victorian times!) was almost a full time job - what with all the black leading etc!

doing that is optional.


> I'd really welcome any comments from someone who has one of these in working condition - I'd like to understand what it would take to use/operate on a daily basis.

I've run a modern one, and theres nothing difficult about it. Nor is there any reason why an old one is significantly different.

Mess is basically a question of how you handle the ashes. A metal bucket held against the appliance will not spill ash, whereas a shovelful carried from one place to another will.

You can put a fair bit of the household rubbish into them, and if you want free heat scrap wood is free too. Theyre nice as a pretty, but personally I wouldnt want the hassle of heating a whole house with soid fuel day in day out - so it sounds like it suits you almost perfectly.


NT

 

[flowera]

NT, thanks for the response. I may have misunderstood the ability of these old ranges to burn wood. I thought the ranges introduced in the late C19th were specifically designed to burn coal (small grates etc.). I'll need to take a closer look at mine once I've fully uncovered it.

I don't have a problem with all the ash - but I do hate soot and I thought that these older designs were simply not as 'tight' as modern stoves and might be a bit 'leaky'. I think a visit to one of the National Trust's working victorian kitchens might be a worthwhile use of my time - I know Shugborough has one and that's not too far away...

Alan.

 

[Penners]

I'm leaning towards pulling it out and replacing with a modern woodburner.

So let's just think about that - you're going to pull out a beautiful original stove, and spend a fair bit of money to replace it with a modern...er... stove.

Your antique range should happily burn wood. It's a thing of beauty and value, and I really urge you to keep it. What an interesting feature! What a boost to the value of your property!

 

[flowera]

I'm leaning towards pulling it out and replacing with a modern woodburner.

So let's just think about that - you're going to pull out a beautiful original stove, and spend a fair bit of money to replace it with a modern...er... stove.

Your antique range should happily burn wood. It's a thing of beauty and value, and I really urge you to keep it. What an interesting feature! What a boost to the value of your property!

Fortunately I think I've convinced my OH to keep the range. We're going to try and get it back up and running. I'll get the chimney lined in advance and if we cannot live with it then I'll take Plan B and replace with a woodburner.

I've had a closer look at the old range today with a chimney/flue specialist but I'm still not convinced it will burn wood - the grate is just so small and looks like it was designed with coal in mind. The other drawback is that the ash falls to the floor where it is supposed to be caught in a tray etc. I'm not going to be happy leaving it to burn unattended... but guess we'll just have to try and live with it before taking any action to remove it.

Alan.

 

[Lime]

I discovered a small cooking stove in a previous house.
That was designed to burn coal as the grate was small.
On subsequent investigation the flues around the ovens were chockablock with soot. I didn't believe it wa soot at first because it was so hard.

 

[Peter]

I believe the Metal Agencies Company were based in Avonmouth possibly at the Docks during WWII. I will ask tomorrow when I get into work (I work for the Docks)

 

[flowera]

I believe the Metal Agencies Company were based in Avonmouth possibly at the Docks during WWII. I will ask tomorrow when I get into work (I work for the Docks)

They must have also had a place in Queen Square, Bristol - the name place on the range says "Metal Agencies Co. Queen Square, Bristol". I've done some web searches but have not been able to find any description or pictures of their products from the late C19th century. Shame there isn't a Haynes Manual for old ranges....

Alan.

 

[NT]

quote="flowera"

> I may have misunderstood the ability of these old ranges to burn wood. I thought the ranges introduced in the late C19th were specifically designed to burn coal (small grates etc.).

This is a non problem. I've yet to see a coal fire that cant burn wood.

If you were roasting with it you'd need coal to get it to max temp, as coal burns hotter, but you're not.


> I don't have a problem with all the ash - but I do hate soot and I thought that these older designs were simply not as 'tight' as modern stoves and might be a bit 'leaky'.

if it does leak its not particularly challenging to fix. Depending on location of gap and thus working temp, theres high temperature silicone, fire cement, metal strip and stove paint. Theres also muck and soot, which can seal gaps up.


> We're going to try and get it back up and running.

is it broken? Normally one puts wood in, sets fire to it and thats it, it works.


> I'll get the chimney lined in advance and if we cannot live with it then I'll take Plan B and replace with a woodburner.

It _is_ a woodburner.


> I've had a closer look at the old range today with a chimney/flue specialist but I'm still not convinced it will burn wood - the grate is just so small and looks like it was designed with coal in mind.

Are you serious? Alan, stick some wood in it and burn it.


> The other drawback is that the ash falls to the floor where it is supposed to be caught in a tray etc. I'm not going to be happy leaving it to burn unattended... but guess we'll just have to try and live with it before taking any action to remove it.

You sure didnt grow up with wood heating did you

Its not a ferrari, its a box. Boxes dont need mechanics. Making another box to go under it with sides high enough to prevent ash straying should not be in any way difficult.

This thread is bordering on the weird. If there are any problems with it let us know.


NT