When many people think of wood-burning stoves, the chances are that they imagine bulky cast-iron boxes, smoky chimneys and ...

Q: We have an old cast-iron, wood-burning cookstove purchased in the early 1970s. We were told at the time it was around 50 years old. Unfortunately, we don't have any place for it now.

Fireplace with chimney: This is the most expensive option on the spectrum. As with the wood-burning version, these resemble an indoor fireplace with a chimney and glass doors surrounding the flame.

New means of industrial production encouraged the fashion, as from the late 1850s cast-iron fireplaces – or chimneypieces – were mass produced making a decorative fireplace an affordable option.