South Shields · Tyne and Wear
South Shields has some of the most varied housing on Tyneside, from the Tyneside flats of Laygate and Rekendyke to the Georgian and Victorian merchants' houses of Westoe, and the inter-war semis of Harton and Cleadon Park. Many of these homes were built around coal fires, and a well-chosen wood-burning stove can make a chilly sea-facing front room far cosier.
Tyne & Ember installs log burners and multi-fuel stoves across South Shields. We visit for a site assessment, inspect the chimney or plan a new flue, and then provide a written quote. We also explain how the borough's smoke control orders affect what you can burn.
Tyneside flats, with an upstairs and a downstairs home side by side behind two front doors, are a familiar sight in the older parts of town. Each flat usually has its own flues, but they often share a chimney stack with the flat above or below and with next door. Before installing a stove we confirm exactly which flue serves your fireplace, and we check the lease or title, because work to a shared stack or roof may need the other owner's agreement.
Westoe Village, with its listed Georgian and Victorian houses built for coal and shipping families, is a conservation area. Generous fireplaces and tall chimneys are typical. Lining is usually needed, and any external alteration should be discussed with the council's planners first. Listed buildings may need consent for internal changes too.
Areas such as Harton, Biddick Hall, Simonside and Horsley Hill include a lot of council-built and private semis. Many still have chimneys suitable for lining; others have had them removed.
Homes near the sea front and Marsden face strong onshore winds. We choose terminals and cowls with that in mind.
South Tyneside Council has made a long series of smoke control orders since the 1970s and 1980s, and large parts of South Shields are covered. Orders published in the London Gazette show areas around Mile End Road and Horsley Hill, among others, being brought under control. The safest approach is to assume your home is in a smoke control area until you have checked.
In a smoke control area you need a Defra-exempt stove to burn wood, or you must burn authorised smokeless fuel. Always burn dry wood; since May 2021 logs sold in small quantities in England must be certified Ready to Burn. You can check your address on Defra's smoke control area map or contact the council's environmental health team through South Tyneside Council's air quality pages.
Our services in South Shields
From Tyneside flats with shared stacks to large Westoe fireplaces and modern homes with no chimney, every South Shields job is a little different. These are the services we provide in the town.
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
Often yes, but there are extra checks. You need to identify your own flue in what is usually a shared stack, and the lease or title may require consent from the other flat owner or freeholder for roof or chimney work. A stove upstairs also needs a suitable floor structure for the hearth. We look at all of this at the assessment.
Homes near the sea front, the Lawe and Marsden take a beating from salt and wind. Check your stack for eroded mortar and loose pots. Salt air can also affect metal components over time, so the flue and cowl should be specified carefully. We explain the options for your location.
If you live in or near Westoe Village, check with South Tyneside Council. Fitting a stove in an existing chimney is usually straightforward, but a new external flue, a changed chimney pot or work on a listed building may need permission. It is far easier to ask before work starts.
It can if the stove is oversized. Many rooms in South Shields terraces and flats are compact, so a low-output stove often gives a more comfortable heat and burns more efficiently. We size the stove to the room rather than the other way round.
It depends on the stove's output and how airtight your home is. Building Regulations require a permanent air supply for larger stoves and for smaller ones in very well sealed homes. Newly double-glazed flats can be surprisingly airtight, so this is always checked during the assessment.
People have lived at the mouth of the Tyne for a very long time. The Romans built Arbeia fort around AD 160 to supply the garrisons along Hadrian's Wall, and its reconstructed gateway now sits among the streets above the Lawe. St Hilda's Church, beside the Market Place, is thought to stand on the site of a seventh-century monastery, and the Old Town Hall at the centre of the Market Place dates from 1768.
The town claims a central role in the history of the lifeboat; a memorial to William Wouldhave stands on Pier Parade near the preserved lifeboat Tyne. A ferry has crossed to North Shields since 1377. Later, the novelist Catherine Cookson made the town famous through books rooted in its streets, while Marsden Bay, its rock and the cliff-side Grotto draw visitors along the coast towards Souter Lighthouse.
Map of South Shields
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FAQs
Large parts of South Shields are covered by smoke control orders made by South Tyneside Council. Check your address on Defra's online smoke control map or with the council. If you are covered, you will need a Defra-exempt stove to burn wood, or you must use authorised smokeless fuel.
Yes. A twin-wall insulated flue can be run up the outside of the house or internally through the floors and roof. We design the route to meet Building Regulations for height above the roof, distance from openings and clearance from combustible materials.
Yes. We cover South Shields and the nearby areas, including Cleadon, Whitburn, Boldon and Harton. Older village homes in Cleadon and Whitburn often have traditional chimneys that can be lined, while newer properties may need a twin-wall flue system. Smoke control coverage can differ from street to street, so we check each address individually.
It does. A solid-fuel stove is notifiable building work, so in England it has to be certified by a registered competent person or approved through South Tyneside Council's Building Control. Keep the certificate with your property documents. For Tyneside flats in particular, a buyer's solicitor is likely to ask for it along with any freeholder consent.
Yes. Approved Document J sets out that a carbon monoxide alarm is needed in any room where a new solid-fuel appliance is installed, and we fit one every time. In flats, it is also sensible for the neighbour above or below to have their own alarm, especially if your chimney stack is shared with them.
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.