Consett · County Durham
Consett stands high on the edge of the Pennines, at around 900 feet above sea level, and anyone who has waited for a bus on Middle Street in January knows how the wind cuts across it. It is the kind of place where a good stove earns its keep from October to April.
Tyne & Ember installs wood-burning and multi-fuel stoves across Consett, Shotley Bridge, Blackhill, Leadgate and the Derwent Valley villages. Height and exposure affect how a flue performs, so we take time over the chimney or flue route, explain how smoke control applies to your address and send a written quote after the site assessment. Ask us about your home.
Much of Consett was built quickly for ironworkers after the Derwent Iron Company arrived in the 1840s. Rows of brick and stone terraces in Blackhill and around the town centre still have their original stacks, though many fireplaces were blocked up long ago. A flue that hasn't been used for decades needs sweeping and inspecting, and a liner is often the right way to give a stove a sound, correctly sized flue.
Shotley Bridge is older and leafier, with stone villas and cottages along the Derwent, some of them listed and within a conservation area. These homes often have generous chimney breasts but may need consent for changes to stacks.
On the exposed higher ground, wind becomes part of the design. Strong gusts can cause downdraught, so the chimney height, the cowl and the terminal position all matter. Since the steelworks site was cleared, new estates have grown up on and around it, and many of those homes have no chimney. For them, a twin-wall insulated flue is usually the practical choice, built to cope with the weather up here.
Consett was part of Derwentside district until County Durham became a single council in 2009. Durham County Council's guidance names the former City of Durham area as entirely smoke controlled and says Teesdale and Wear Valley have no smoke control areas, but it doesn't list the position for Derwentside. Instead, it asks people elsewhere in the county to confirm their address with its Community Protection team.
If you are in a smoke control area, wood can only be burned in a DEFRA-exempt stove using fuels its manufacturer approves. Wherever you live, dry fuel matters: Ready to Burn wood has 20% moisture or less, which gives more heat and less smoke on a cold hilltop. You'll find the phone number and email on the council's smoke control areas page.
Our services in Consett
A stove in Consett has to cope with altitude, wind and long winters, so we plan the flue and stove output with that in mind rather than simply fitting the largest model available. Whether you are in a Blackhill terrace or a new home on the old works site, these are the services we offer across Consett and the Derwent Valley.
Planning and fitting a new wood-burning stove or log burner, from checking your chimney and hearth to commissioning the stove and talking you through using it safely. We plan and fit wood-burning stoves for homes in Newcastle, across Tyne & Wear and the wider North East, starting with a site assessment so the stove suits your room, your chimney and the local smoke control rules.
Fitting multi-fuel stoves that can burn wood or approved smokeless fuels, with the right liner, hearth and air supply, and clear advice on what you can legally burn locally. A multi-fuel stove can burn logs or approved smokeless fuels, which gives you flexibility through a North East winter. We fit them in homes across Newcastle, Tyne & Wear and beyond, and make sure you know what you can…
Swapping an old, oversized or inefficient stove for a modern Ecodesign model, with the chimney, liner, hearth and ventilation checked so the new stove works safely. If your current stove is old, smoky, cracked or simply the wrong size, we can replace it with a modern model. We serve homes in Newcastle, across Tyne & Wear and the wider North East, and check the whole installation…
Lining existing chimneys and fitting new flue systems for stoves, including twin-wall flues for homes without a chimney, all planned around a proper inspection first. A stove is only as safe as the flue it's connected to. We assess chimneys and plan lining or new flue systems for homes in Newcastle, across Tyne & Wear and the wider North East, usually as part of a stove installation.
Preparing hearths and fireplace openings for a stove, from opening up a blocked fireplace to laying a new hearth that meets the regulations and suits your room. The hearth and fireplace opening are where safety and looks meet. We prepare hearths and fireplace openings for stoves in homes across Newcastle, Tyne & Wear and the wider North East, as part of planning a stove…
Before you choose a stove
It can. Exposed chimneys in Consett may suffer downdraught, where gusts push smoke back down the flue. The chimney's height relative to the roof, nearby buildings and trees all play a part. We look at the terminal position and whether an anti-downdraught cowl would help at the assessment.
Durham County Council's smoke control page doesn't state the position for the former Derwentside district, which includes Consett. Residents are asked to get in touch with the council directly. Check before you buy, because the answer decides whether you'll need a DEFRA-exempt stove to burn wood.
Many Consett terraces haven't had a fire in decades. Old flues can have crumbling mortar, birds' nests or damaged pots. A sweep and inspection reveal what's there. The results show whether a liner alone is enough or whether repairs to the stack are needed first.
It's tempting to choose a large stove, but oversizing leads to slow, smoky burning. Instead, we consider room size, insulation and how exposed the house is, then suggest a sensible output. Good draught-proofing often does as much as a bigger stove.
Some older properties in Shotley Bridge are listed or in a conservation area. That can affect changes to stacks, pots and external flues, and listed homes may need consent for internal work too. Check with Durham County Council's planning team before going ahead.
Consett was a small hamlet until the 1840s, when the Derwent Iron Company built ironworks here to use local coal, iron ore and limestone. The business became the Consett Iron Company in 1864 and grew into one of the major steel producers in Britain. Steel from Consett went into ships, bridges and buildings across the world.
The works closed in 1980, a heavy blow to a town built around a single industry. The site was later cleared and redeveloped, and it is now home to housing, businesses and a new leisure centre.
Consett's past is still visible. The Terris Novalis sculpture by Tony Cragg, giant steel versions of surveying instruments, stands beside the cycle path on the former railway line, and the town sits on the popular C2C cycle route. Shotley Bridge, on the edge of town, was famous for its sword-makers who came from Germany in the late seventeenth century.
Map of Consett
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FAQs
Usually, yes. Many newer homes on the former steelworks site and other estates have no chimney, so a twin-wall insulated flue is the usual option. Given the exposure, the terminal height and position are planned carefully. We explain the route and any planning points at the site assessment.
Consett is covered by Durham County Council. Its Community Protection team can confirm whether a particular address is in a smoke control area. The contact details are on the council's smoke control page, which we link to on this page.
Yes. Installing a solid-fuel stove in England is notifiable building work and must be signed off either by an installer registered with a competent person scheme or through Building Control. Keep your compliance certificate safe for when you sell the house.
Yes. Whenever a solid-fuel stove is installed, Approved Document J calls for a carbon monoxide alarm. We fit one in the room with the stove. Test it regularly, particularly at the start of each heating season, which in Consett can come early in the autumn.
A sturdy, covered log store with open sides lets air through while keeping rain off. In exposed spots, place it against a sheltered wall and raise the logs off the ground. Buying Ready to Burn wood means it starts dry, so storage only has to keep it that way.
Send us a few details and photos and we will arrange a site assessment and a clear written quote.
From our blog
Regulations & safety
The whole of Newcastle upon Tyne is a smoke control area. Here is what that means for a log burner: exempt appliances, authorised fuels, the penalties that now apply, and how to check elsewhere in the region.
Buying guides
Kilowatts, room sizes and rules of thumb, explained simply. Why an oversized stove causes problems, how insulation changes the picture, and when extra ventilation is needed under Building Regulations.
Stove advice
Not every chimney needs a liner, but many older ones do. Here is how installers decide, what the main liner options are, and how a chimney's condition is checked before and after a stove goes in.