what can I buy to keep the wood etc in for the new fire please/

[mckenzie]

We are finally ready to use our fire! Yippee. The room is no longer a childrens playroom, the chimney has been swept and certified, the wood, coals and firelighters bought. But now we've realised we need a bucket/tub of some sort to keep the wood etc in.

Any ideas/tips please as to what works well, websites/shops to look at please?

TIA

We've got a rattan chest lined with hessian from Merchant Chandler which holds an evenings worth of wood for us, and a small open basket for kindling

do you use coal ethelina too? Weve been adviced to fist light a few pieces of coal then add the wood. Is that what you do?

No don't use coal at all, just wood. Ours is an enclosed woodburning stove with a back boiler which runs the central heating and hot water. I put down a layer I'd screwed up newspaper and some kindling on top and just light it. When it gets going I add the wood. When it's really hot we put a large slow burning piece of hardwood or two and it keeps going for hours with minimal interference. It took us 3 winters to get the hang of it though. I expect someone with experience of coal will be along in a minute

thanks Ethelina. i hope for some helpful advice. Ours is a regular fireplace in the lounge. DH is being a rather typical man I'm afraid and is acting as though he's been lighting fires all his life when really, he is a real fire virgin like me .

Hehe they're all like that! It's like changing nappies really - once you've done a few you wonder what all the fuss was about .

Bump for coal related advice from anyone in the know

We have a coal scuttle we bought in an antique auction (v v lovely if I say so myself) but it isn't big enough for holding logs. My cunning plan is to buy a large wicker basket but I haven't yet found one that I like.

That rattan chest in Merchant Chandler i linked to is actually very sturdy and the lining is sound so no messy leaks.

That's very nice but I was hoping for something more rustic and twiggy looking, if you get my drift.

We have a baskt for kindling but we just stack the logs. It looks very pretty

Small scuttle for one evenings worth of coal and Medium whicker basket for logs.
Bought an oak swill basket a few years ago for DD log burner HEREIt should last forever.

Meant to say he was on Victorian Farm TV programme and we liked them so ordered one.

Garden Trading do a few good fireside bits, though I'm not keen on all this writing on buckets lark that shop is obsessed with. Cox and Cox has a few things too. I'm quite partial to those recycled tyre baskets that turn up on notonthehighstreet now and again.

If you have coal, advise getting a hod with a cover - because it gets everywhere - and tongs instead of a mini-shovel (they're pretty ineffective). If you make sure the hod has two handles and a sort of feedy-lip, you can chuck a load of coal on quickly if you need to.