Alternatives to wood burners / log burners / open fires

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Any thoughts on decent alternatives to a woodburning stove?

We're buying a house with a chimney breast and a gas fire at the front of it.

Had always dreamt of a woodburning stove. But we haven't got tons of cash spare and am a bit put off by stories of cleaning them out and general maintenance. Not to mention that environmentally and heath wise they are not great and councils may restrict their use in future...

We want something warm and fire - like. Any ideas?

My parents have a gas fire similar to this. There are cheaper ones available to suit various budgets.
www.flames.co.uk/wall-mounted-gas-fires/gazco-riva2-500-edge-gas-fire.html

Looks realistic and very good at heating the room. No mess. They have bottled gas as they don't live in an area which can access mains gas. They adapted their original fireplace so that the new fire was raised off the ground and removed the old hearth - a bit like the last photo in the above link (the one with the glass topped coffee table).

Ooh thanks @SolitudeIsHighlyOverrated I like that one!
More contemporary than others I have seen, less of the brassy detail.
I just wonder if I'd miss the idea of a woodburning stove...but this would be much cheaper and less maintenance

Oh yeah just checked the price! Maybe not cheaper to buy but I guess it's cheaper to fit than a woodburner?

We have this. It's a gas fire, but lots of people don't realise it's a fake.

We had a real log burner in our last house (this was here when we moved in) and I miss having the real thing, but have to admit this is a lot more convenient!

You’re right to avoid wood burning stove - they are highly polluting not just in the house but also for neighbours. We are surrounded by neighbours with them and the smoke smell fills our house some evenings - it’s really unfair - they will be banned within 5 years.

There are lots of gas stoves that replicate the look of wood burners - cleaner, cheaper and fewer maintenance costs. www.stovesareus.co.uk/stoves/gas-stoves.html

Banned within five years 🤣

The pollution problem with wood burning stoves is just because it's solid fuel, anything that uses gas should be fine. The main air pollution from gas burning is NO2, which although it's bad for you, it's way less quantity than the particulates you'd get from wood.

www.direct-fireplaces.com/flavel-finesse-hole-in-the-wall-gas-fire.html
www.direct-fireplaces.com/flavel-windsor-contemporary-plus-wall-mounted-gas-fire.html