Stoking the flames of evolution

WITH OVER 50 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE, CHARNWOOD PROVES THAT IT’S ALWAYS AT THE FOREFRONT OF WOOD-BURNING TECHNOLOGIES

This year marks a very special year for family-run British business Charnwood, it’s 50 years since founder Alfred Wells and sons Alistair and John created their first wood-burning stove. Based in Niton, on the Isle of Wight – and against a backdrop of the oil crisis and Dutch Elm disease that was sweeping the nation at the time – they built a stove that wasn’t reliant on fossil fuels and could use the abundance of wood that was available. The result proved so successful that Charnwood was born and the family haven’t looked back since, always striving to break new boundaries and provide the latest innovations.

SETTING THE STANDARD

Having grown from those three founding members to a team of over 180 people, the company has evolved to meet the everchanging demands of the industry and in the coming months will launch two new models, each designed to make the burning process cleaner, greener and more accessible. The revolutionary Skye E700 with its intelligent wood-burning technology will soon be unveiled across the pond in the US followed by a European launch, while the Haven – a new compact wood-fired range cooker – is set to heat up the wood-burning market over here. Featuring a large view of the fire within, the Haven combines the charm of a traditional range with the very latest efficiencies and clean-burn know-how, and has been designed for cabins, bothies, off-grid and smaller homes.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Charnwood doesn’t just limit its expertise to wood-burners, either. Since the installation of its vitreous enamel plant over 30 years ago, which enabled the company to enamel its stoves in-house, it has worked to extend its services to other industries, most notably transport signage. Operating under the name of AJ Wells, the company has a strong working relationship with Transport for London, being the principle supplier of signage for the London Underground, and also supplies the Paris Metro.

Showing that necessity is the mother of invention, Charnwood has grown from humble beginnings to being the hottest name in woodburning stoves. It also supplies the transport signs seen around London and Paris