I’ve got a new batch of cast iron grates coming into stock soon. These will fit all Belle Portable cooking ranges as well as many early Guidwife ranges as well as many others. Dimensions will be posted in the ‘Shop’ section in the coming weeks. These grates are a quaility article cast in the Uk completely unlike the poor quality Chinese cast iron available from many outlets. These grates will offer years of trouble free service.
Fire stones also available for all ranges upon request.
Author: OliverOsborne
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Does your grate look like this?!
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Fire up the range
The recent drop in the weather has had me firing up the range some days. Never a chore mind!
Mine is a Guidwife range cast by the Caledonian Stove and Iron works of Bonnybridge. It has a period glazed door over the firebox that must have been made by the maintenance man at the hotel from which it came.
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Coats Portal Sapperton Tunnel
Rach and I were heading back from looking at a boat nr Wolvercoat when we decided to take a pit stop and came across Coate’s Portal of the Sapperton Tunnel. Construction began in late 1783 and was completed in 1789, significant restoration works were carried out in 1777.
The feasibility of the restoration of the tunel has been verified despite significant damage occuring inside over the past century. At present however the canal is in poor order and the restoration works of the 70’s are showing signs of age. It is a nice spot though. Hopefully one day the Thames and Severn canal will be back in working order.
There’s a good article on the tunnel here;http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/sapperton-canal-tunnel.php
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Steam Hammer!
Could resist getting my photo with this steam hammer we came across in a motorway services (much to Rachel’s dismay).
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Back in Shropshire
Me and Rach were back in Shropshire again, working over this bank holiday weekend. We were there to fit the Carron Co Hobgrate I restored a while back with a black stone roundel surround that the customer supplied. I made up the slate slips and hearth on Saturday morning before we got going.
Below are a few pictures of the hobgrate going in. We still have some finishing off to do but I wanted to wait for the Lime to go off fully first. The slips and hearth will be oiled and will come up a beautiful deep satin black.
Rach couldn’t resist lighting a quick fire to test the draw, the chimney drew perfectly despite the still warm weather. It must be the first time it has been used for half a century!
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This probably isn’t interesting for most out there but I’m right pleased. I managed to take a day off work last week to attend to my poor old bench that I’ve had for years now. I built it before I started playing with ranges and it certainly hasn’t coped well having them sat on top of it for days on end! So here’s the (nearly) completed new bench (nearly) ready for action. Now I just have to figure out an easier way of getting the ranges on top…
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Three men in a boat
Here I am in a freinds boat rowing in the Bristol harbour. Turns out I’m not a natural! We head up towards MShed and then put the sails up for the return leg. I’m no good at that either, beware the boom!
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We’ve had another busy week with 1 Georgian register grate, 1 Belle Portable, 1 Cottage range and 16 forged shutter closers being completed ready for delivery today.
The grate and range are being supplied with a pair of matching bespoke Bath stone surrounds and they’ll look great in their new home!
The Belle Portable has been fully insulated internally to make it’s installation into a Ploughman’s living wagon that much safer.
The shutter closers work on the principle of snail cam, or more accurately a scroll cam. The scroll catches onto a pintle driven into the window frame and as it is turned draws the shutter tighter in.
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Belle Portable Range
I recently aquired this very smart Belle Portable range. It is complete and original and is in the queue for restoration. It’s a very nice example of a 36″ model with sham.
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Columbian stove works “Fairy”
I tend to leap on anything from the Columbian or Caledonia Stove and Iron works as they’re two of my favourite foundaries. They manufactured some very popular items that still retain a following today along with the Dumpy and Queene stove were the Nipper, Fairy, Stratford and Dover ranges. etween them they had also sorts of uses from shepherds huts, guards huts, living wagons, boats, workshops etc. Below is a nice (albeit extremely neglected) example of the Fairy having just made the long trip down from Wigan.
It will have the vitreous enamel removed and a traditional black lead polish applied.
